All rise. Court is now in session. Mock Trial is a competitive extracurricular activity, which started at Laguna in 2000. It is a rigorous, intensive, and time-consuming program, which requires months of preparation alongside multiple scrimmages with other schools, culminating in a series of trials held at the historic Santa Barbara Courthouse.
At the beginning of October, the team started meeting to review the case file, and to learn their roles.
“This year’s case is about a murder of a CEO and a patent attorney, Tobie Clark, charged with first-degree murder for murdering CEO, Keiran Sunshine. The murder was alleged to conceal a huge secret regarding false results of a case study for a product that was supposed to make millions,” junior Eleanor Crafton said. “If they exposed the secret, they wouldn’t be able to put the product on the market and lose millions of revenue.”
Two sides prepare to compete: the prosecution and the defense. The prosecution’s job is to represent the people by presenting the evidence needed to convict the lawyer, Tobie.
Meanwhile, the defense’s job is to defend their client by proving them innocent.
“This specific case has been hard for the prosecution team. The prosecution team has the burden of proof, which means they have to prove their case without any other reasonable explanation,” Eleanor said. “This has been hard this year because most, if not all, of the evidence that points to Tobie Clark is circumstantial. This means we have to rely on strong witness testimony during the competition.”
After individual work, scrimmaging against each other and other schools begins.
“The purpose of [scrimmages] is to point out each other’s weaknesses and hone arguments before the final competition,” sophomore Jack Grube said.
For the competition, the teams are paired up against larger public schools in an elimination round, where the best four out of six teams go onto the final rounds; whoever wins goes to state, and if they win, they compete in nationals.
Winning requires more than just preparation; it demands a whole host of skills from each student, whether portraying a lawyer or a witness.
Confidence, communication skills, critical thinking, teamwork, time management, legal knowledge, professionalism and dedication are all essential.
“[But] success in Mock Trial often results from a combination of these skills,” said Jessica Tyler the Mock Trial Coordinator.
These skills are showcased during the trials where students compete for recognition.
“In essence, the final trial in a mock trial competition is a crucial event that not only determines the immediate outcome of the competition, but also pays a vital role in the overall growth and reputation of the participating students and mock trial program,“ Tyler said.
The following students received awards:
Senior Jayla Provance: Best Prosecution Trial Attorney
Senior Lucia Camp: Best Prosecution Pretrial Attorney
Senior Dylan Charney: Best Defense Trial Attorney
Sophomore Dakota Risley: Best Prosecution Witness