Ready for battle in mock court
Warren County High School’s mock trial team showed its legal mettle recently as it qualified for the Tennessee State High School Mock Trial Competition to be held this weekend in Nashville.
Designed to promote greater understanding of and appreciation for the law, court procedures and the American judicial system, this year’s mock trial competition revolves around a fictitious civil case concerning an injury during a high school soccer match.
The competition features student teams composed of six “attorneys” and six “witnesses.” Like an actual case, students must try the case by making opening and closing statements and conducting examinations and cross examinations of witnesses. All teams are given the same mock affidavits, from which they must make their cases.
Teams, which argue both the plaintiff’s and defendant’s side of the case, are judged by juries composed of area lawyers on an array of criteria including their knowledge of the case, their presentation and persona, and their ability to think on their feet.
To advance to state competition, the local team had to first win at the district level. To do this, the team defeated teams from White County, Jackson County and Putnam County.
Team members earning accolades at district level competition include Dustin Dowell, best defense witness; Nick Jones, best plaintiff attorney; Maeghan Nabors, best plaintiff witness; and Stephanie Roller, best defense attorney.
This weekend the high school team will be competing against 18 other mock trial teams from across the state. The state competition is sponsored by the Tennessee Bar Association, which will be paying for the team’s hotel rooms and most meals. The Warren County Bar Association and the McMinnville Jaycees have made donations to help defray additional team expenses.
Team sponsor and high school government teacher Darrell Austin said this will be the first time the local team has gone to state competition in six years and the first since he took over as sponsor.
“I don’t know exactly what the competition will be like, but I think these kids are just as smart as anyone else who will be there,” Austin said.