WHAT TO BRING TO A MOCK TRIAL


(MAKE SURE TO BRING THE FOLLOWING ON THE DAY OF YOUR TRIAL)

• TEAM ROSTERS:  FILL IN YOU TEAM ROSTERS AND MAKE AT LEAST 10 COPIES. THREE COPIES GO TO THE JUDGES, ONE COPY TO YOUR OPPOSING TEAM, ONE COPY TO UTAH LAW-RELATED EDUCATION. KEEP THE EXTRAS IN CASE YOU NEED TO CHANGE SOMETHING.(See the bottom of this page to download)
  

• REMEMBER THAT NOTHING SHOULD IDENTIFY WHICH SCHOOL YOU ARE FROM. NOTHING ON FOLDERS, CLOTHES, AUDIENCE ETC. THAT WOULD ALLOW THE JUDGES TO KNOW WHAT SCHOOLS ARE COMPETING.
  

• MAKE NAME TAGS FOR EACH STUDENT. ATTORNEYS WITH FULL NAME AND WITNESSES WITH THE NAME OF THE WITNESS
  

• BRING PINS TO PIN ON THE NAME TAGS
  

• CREATE A 3-RING BINDERS FILLED WITH THE FOLLOWING ITEMS:   25  COPIES OF ALL WITNESS STATEMENTS, 30 COPIES OF EACH PIECE OF EVIDENCE, 25 COPIES OF ANY STIPULATIONS OR ADD-ON STIPULATIONS FROM UTAH LAW-RELATED EDUCATION, 5 COPIES OF THE STATEMENT OF FACTS AND CASE LAW, INCLUDE COPIES OF ALL THE QUESTIONS CREATED BY YOUR STUDENTS JUST IN CASE THEY FORGET TO BRING THEM, SOMEONE GETS SICK AND/OR YOU NEED TO SUBSTITUTE, ETC) I MAKE ABOUT 5 COPIES OF THE QUESTIONS. IT SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF COPIES, BUT THIS WAY YOU ARE SET FOR THE SEASON.

• ALSO CREATE A SHEET WITH ALL THE RULES OF EVIDENCE ON IT. ( I USUALLY PUT THEM ON COLORED CARD STOCK) MAKE AT LEAST 20 COPIES AND GIVE THEM TO YOUR ATTORNEYS. PUT EXTRA IN THE THREE-RING BINDER

• OBJECTION SHEET SAMPLE

• MAKE THE TIME CARDS AND PUT THEM ON CARD STOCK. ( I MAKE AT LEAST THREE SETS) I ADD ONE CARD THAT IS RED WHICH MEANS WE HAVE USED ALL OUR TOTAL TIME FOR DIRECT, CROSS, ETC. IT IS ONLY HELD UP BY OUR BAILIFF WHEN NEEDED AS A LAST RESORT SO THAT WE DO NOT GET DEDUCTIONS FOR OVERTIME.

• PUT LOTS OF PENS, PENCILS AND PADS FOR THEM TO WRITE IDEAS DOWN OR PASS IDEAS BACK AND FORTH. REMIND THEM TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT THE NOTE PASSING AND HOW THEY INTERACT.

• RUN OFF COPIES OF HOW TO INTRODUCE THE TRIAL FOR THE BAILIFF SO HE/SHE CAN WRITE IN THE NAMES OF THE JUDGES, MAKE 20 COPIES OF THE TIME SHEETS, GET A STOPWATCH OR TWO, AND PAPER AND PENCIL

• IF YOU ARE THE PLAINTIFF/PROSECUTION TEAM'S COACH, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR SETTING UP THE COURTROOM, CLEANING THE COURTROOM AND PUTTING THINGS BACK IN ORDER, BRINGING THE THREE  SCORE SHEETS TO TRIAL THAT DAY, BRINGING THE SIGN OFF SHEET FOR THE COURTROOM AND GETTING THE SIGNATURES TO VERIFY THE COURTROOM IS BACK IN ORDER, COLLECTING THE SCORE SHEETS AND ONE TEAM ROSTER FOR EACH TEAM AND SENDING THEM TO UTAH LAW-RELATED EDUCATION AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. YOU CAN FAX THE SCORES AND THE TEAM ROSTERS TO UTAH LAW RELATED EDUCATION, THEN MAIL IN THE ORIGINALS.

• THE PLAINTIFF/PROSECUTION COACH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR GREETING THE JUDGES, GETTING THEM SET UP AND THEN INTRODUCING THE CASE. WHAT TO SAY CAN BE FOUND IN THE FIRST PART OF THE MOCK TRIAL HANDBOOK.  I HAVE ALWAYS HAD THE DEFENSE TEAM'S COACH GREET THE JUDGES AND MEET THEM WITH ME SO THAT EVERYONE FEELS THINGS ARE FAIR

• A FRIENDLY REMINDER TO AVOID PROBLEMS: WHEN INTRODUCING THE CASE, REMEMBER TO TELL EVERYONE, INCLUDING PARENTS AND ANY OBSERVERS, THAT THE TEAM MEMBERS MAY NOT TALK, PASS NOTES, TEXT ETC. TO ANYONE NOT ON THE TEAM DURING THE TRIAL OR DURING ANY BREAKS. 

•  ANY TYPE OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN NON TEAM MEMBERS MAY LEAD TO DISQUALIFICATION. ALSO, TAKE A MOMENT TO HAVE EVERYONE TURN OFF ALL ELECTRONIC DEVICES.

         ATTORNEYS      

IN FOLDER:

QUESTIONS

OBJECTION SHEETS 

PENS/PENCILS

NOTEPADS

WITNESS STATEMENTS

ONE THREE-RING                                                            

      BAILIFF                    

IN FOLDER: 

STOPWATCH

PENS

TIME CARDS

TIME SHEET

INTRODUCTION

EXTRA ROSTERS                                                                                                    

 David McCullough