State champion defense attorney-Strode wins award at mock trial competition

If Warren County High School senior C.J. Strode had any doubts about pursuing a legal career, those doubts were put to rest at the recent Mock Trial State Tournament in Nashville.

Strode won the coveted title of Best Defense Lawyer in a state-wide competition after delivering what was described as a smooth performance by mock trial team faculty advisor Darrell Austin.

‘With all the big private schools around the state that make a good showing at this competition, sometimes it’s hard to notice someone from Warren County,’ said Austin. ‘But C.J. did well. He’s just smooth, that’s the best way to describe him. I’m glad to see the judges realized that.’

For Strode, the award serves as verification that he has what it takes to excel in a courtroom. Since he wants to become an attorney, the award is reassuring.

‘What I like about this is it shows me I can do it,’ said Strode. ‘It takes some of the nervousness away.’

Asked to describe his courtroom presence, Strode said, ‘I’m reserved yet I get my point across. I ask leading questions to get the answers I want.’

As a team, Warren County finished with a respectable 12th-place finish out of 16 teams. Every member of the team voted Strode as team MVP, except for Strode who voted for someone else.

This year’s mock trial competition was a civil case. It involved a teenager who was reportedly text messaging while driving. The teen crashed his car and one of the female passengers filed a lawsuit for damages, claiming negligence on the part of the driver.

But the case wasn’t so clear cut. Strode was able to cast doubt on the passenger’s story.

‘I showed that the changing format of the texts showed that she had the phone at the time of the crash,’ said Strode. ‘And I showed she had a lot to drink, five beers in two hours. If she’s intoxicated she couldn’t give an accurate description of the wreck.’