Coaches and participants in the Northwestern Mock Trial program set a high goal for themselves—each year we strive to reach and place highly at the American Mock Trial Association National Championship Tournament while learning the finer points of public speaking and trial advocacy, never relinquishing our commitment to integrity inside and outside the courtroom, and having fun.

Teams: Each year, our program fields three or four individual Mock Trial teams, comprised of 6-8 students each. Students join the program following a selection process consisting of an audition and interview, and are placed with a team based on their stated preferences, goals, and personalities. Each of Northwestern’s three teams traditionally creates a unique identity for itself. Each team develops its own case theory and theme. Many Northwestern Mock Trial participants form close bonds with their teammates, taking classes and even living together throughout the year.

Coaches: Our program is extremely lucky to have amazing coaches who donate their time to help our team succeed. They hold 3-hour practices for the team twice per week and spend countless hours planning for meetings and conducting administrative business for the program. Additionally, they travel with the team to tournaments. As lawyers and law students, our coaches provide team members with connections, wisdom, and guidance. The rolls they fill as mentors and friends are invaluable both for the members of the team who plan to follow in their footsteps to a career in law, and for those who have other plans.

The American Mock Trial Association:
An Overview of College Mock Trial

The Northwestern Mock Trial program is officially recognized by and affiliated with the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA), the governing body of all college Mock Trial programs. AMTA sponsors tournaments throughout the Mock Trial season, which begins with the start of the school year and extends through the completion of the National Championship Tournament, the pinnacle of Mock Trial competition, in mid-April. AMTA also administers the national case problem (a fictitious set of evidence including an indictment or complaint and answer, statutes, case law, witness affidavits, and exhibits) used by all teams for the duration of the season.

A Competitive Mock Trial Round: In a Mock Trial tournament, each round is one complete trial, with a team from one school representing the plaintiff/prosecution, and a team from a different school representing the defendant. Two attorneys or judges preside over each round; each judge fills out a ballot evaluating fourteen different aspects of each team’s performance. A tournament consists of four rounds, with each team representing the plaintiff twice and the defendant twice. Each team has the opportunity to win a total of eight ballots.

During the round, students portray both attorneys and witnesses for their case. The acting skills of a team’s witnesses are just as important as the attorneys’ roles. Each side, beginning with the plaintiff, presents an opening statement. Then the three plaintiff’s attorneys each call a witness (played by three members of the team), and conduct a direct examination. In addition to being able to object at any time during the plaintiff’s case-in-chief (to which the plaintiff’s attorneys must respond), the three defense attorneys have an opportunity to cross-examine each of these witnesses. This structure is repeated for the defense case-in-chief, which is followed by each side’s closing argument. All aspects of the trial are restricted by time limits, forcing both teams to manage their time effectively.

Regional and National Tournaments: All AMTA-affiliated Mock Trial teams compete in one of twenty regional qualifying tournaments in late January or February. 430 colleges and universities across the country sponsor AMTA-affiliated Mock Trial programs; 521 teams competed in last year’s regional tournaments. Of those 521 teams, 148 (and no more than two from any one school) move on to national competition. There are three AMTA-affiliated national tournaments. 48 teams compete at each of two “silver flight” National Tournaments. The top six teams from each of these tournaments advance to compete against the 52 most elite teams from the regional qualifiers at the “gold flight” National Championship Tournament. The winner of this tournament is the Mock Trial National Champion.

Invitational Tournaments: One of the most important ways in which teams prepare for the regional and national tournaments is by participating in invitational tournaments throughout the Mock Trial season. Invitational tournaments allow a team to practice and refine its case theory in a high-pressure, competitive environment that is far more productive than intra-team scrimmages. The trials allow competitors to learn how to respond to new arguments by exposing them to teams from other schools, as well as the often-subjective whims of the same types of judges they will face later on. The invitational tournament season is the time during which teams develop a strategy that will allow them to succeed at the national level.