OHIO Mock Trial Members
The Ohio University Mock Trial Team will compete in the 13th Annual Illini Mock Trial Invitational Tournament via Zoom on January 23 and 24. This invitational is one of several that Ohio University Mock Trial has competed in this year, all in preparation for the Regional Tournament in February. Participating in invitational tournaments gives students an opportunity to practice their courtroom skills, tests their knowledge of the law, and gives them an opportunity to tighten their theme and theory prior to the actual competition. In order to join the team, students are required to tryout in the Fall and spend the remainder of the semester preparing the case for trial through weekly lectures and practices.
In preparing for the invitational, both OHIO teams scrimmaged in front of OHIO alumni Athens County Common Pleas Judge Zachary Saunders and current M.A. in Law, Justice & Culture student, and OHIO Mock Trial alum, Kristin Tate on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. “The students did really well! They were prepared and their objections were timely and well reasoned,” said Judge Saunders. “I like this group’s passion and wish them the best of luck at the competition.”
At the Illini Mock Trial Invitational, both teams will compete four times across two days. The students will be assessed on their opening statements, direct and cross examinations, closing argument, and over all presentation. In the Fall, the team had the opportunity to test their case themes and theories at the 15th Annual Justice Louis D. Brandeis Invitational Tournament and the AMTA Virtual Exhibition Tournament. Both competitions awarded individual team members for their performances as attorney and witnesses. The Team won the national AMTA Invitational Tournament.
Coached by CLJC Pre-Law Advisor Larry Hayman, Esq., OHIO Mock Trial is a critical part of the CLJC’s co-curricular experiences for students interested in law. Each year, the team accepts between twenty and thirty students from all majors.
The team has a busy Spring semester lineup. Following the University of Illinois competition, on January 30th and 31st, the team will compete in another virtual tournament hosted by St. Rose College. The Regional Tournament will follow by just three weeks, on February 13-14th.
Mock Trial President Ellen Gill shares, “I am so fortunate that our program will have so many opportunities to engage with other excellent teams and continue to enhance our materials. We learn something new at every tournament about our legal arguments and witness characterizations, and after every weekend, we leave as even stronger competitors.”
Mock Trial Vice President Micaela Beatham-Garcia writes, “We are so encouraged by our success at the AMTA tournament and it has only made us even more driven as we approach our upcoming competitions. I am so proud of our teams and the dedication they continue to display.”
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