2011 Important Dates

• November 1: Team Fee Due ($800 per school)
• November 8: Online Student/School registration Due
• November 8: Three legal forms
• Teacher/ Sponsor Agreement
• Parent/Teacher Agreement
• Team Code of Ethics and Roster Form Due
• December 1: Courtroom Art Contest Entry Form Due
• December 1: ournalist Contest Entry Form Due

Monterey County Competition Dates

• January 27th, 31st
• February 2nd, 3rd, and 5th (final championship round)
• Location: Monterey County Courthouse - 1200 Aguajito Rd Monterey, CA 93940

State Competition

• March 25-27: Riverside CA

Mock Trial 2010 Participants

• Eight High Schools to Participate– Alisal, Carmel, King City, Monterey, North Salinas, Pacific Grove, Palma, and Salinas
• 2010 Volunteers – 11 Teacher Coaches, 14 Attorney Coaches, 20 Attorney Scoring Judges, 10 Judges
  

Mock Trial at a Glance

• 9-20 students per team. Roles include prosecution and defense pretrial and trial attorneys, witnesses, clerks, and bailiffs.
• Each team has both teacher and attorney coaches.
• The Constitutional Rights Foundation produces the hypothetical trial case used by all teams.
• National Competition – winning teams goes to the state and national competitions.
• Trials take place at the Monterey County Court House - attorneys judge the competition and judges preside over cases.

Mock Trial Preparation - Teams work directly with attorney and teacher coaches weekly for four months to prepare for the Mock Trial competition. Teams research and analyze the facts, develop case strategies, memorize witness statements, and perfect their individual roles.  Each year, the pretrial motion pertains to a constitutional issue and students examine past Supreme Court Cases. Students learn how to conduct both direct and cross-examinations, make appropriate objections, and prepare closing arguments. 

Mock Trial Competition – Each prosecution and defense team will compete against at least two other teams and then participate in the final day competition.  During the competition, teacher and attorney coaches cannot provide assistance, which means students need to make all of the key decisions on their own.  Attorneys score the competitions, and the finals are generally very close. 

Benefits to Students

• Communication & Presentation Skills –to be able to argue in front of a packed courthouse!!
• Self Confidence – students develop a sense of accomplishment completing a difficult program
• Leadership Skills - develop arguments, strategies, and skills to work as a team
• Critical Reasoning & Analytic Skills –develop case strategies, analyze the facts, and effectively respond to other team’s arguments without coaching assistance.
• Knowledge of Legal system – constitutional issues, roles of attorneys, evidence, case process
• Team Building 

Who are Teacher Coaches?

• Principals, school counselors, social studies teachers, religious teachers, etc.
• Teacher coaches do not need to have a legal background.  Attorney coaches directly teach students and provide all the instruction to prepare for the trial cases