You may have heard of Model UN but a similar club, mock trial, has typically flown under the radar. Mock Trial captains, seniors Jake Klugerman and Keerat Singh delve into what the club is and why more people should know about it.
What is mock trial?
JK: It’s a club and basically we have 12 members who are both defense and prosecution. People can both play lawyer or witness and get a casebook and then we prepare our case and go against other teams.
KS: Basically, we get a casebook every year that’s on a topical issue like lead in school water, concussions in sports, cyber bullying, texting and driving, etc. and we have both a prosecution and defense team that eventually compete in mock trials at the district court against other schools.
How long have you been in the club?
JK: Since my freshman year.
KS: I’ve been doing it for four years.
What made you want to do mock trial?
JK: My brother did it when he was in high school and I went to one of his trials and thought it would be a cool experience.
KS: I do it because I’m interested in being a lawyer and I think it’s very challenging and has developed my improvisational and public speaking skills and helps me think on my feet.
How would you describe the season? JK: This season has been challenging with a lot of new members. It was hard at the beginning of the season but I feel towards the end of the season we’ve gotten a lot better.
KS: The season runs from November to February.
What do you think are some common misconceptions about mock trial?
JK: I think people think it’s boring and think it’s a lot a lot of prep work. I mean, you have to put work in but it’s a more fun experience than people think. We accomplish a lot in manageable amount of time.
Why don’t more people do it?
JK: A lot of people don’t know what it is and people choose to do more common clubs because they’re more well known.
KS: Since our season starts in November, it’s hard to compete with clubs and teams that start right at the beginning of the school year and people have already committed to those by the time mock trial comes around.
Why should people do it?
JK: I know a lot of people have an interest in law and mock trial is a good experience if you have an interest in that. It is not to big of a time commitment.
KS: People should join because it’s really fun and has a short season so it’s not too much commitment.
What do you hope for next year’s team?
JK: We have some seniors graduating so I hope that we have more people come in and returning team members build off what we have learned.
KS: I hope next year there will be more participation and the team will expand.
