Mock Trial
The University of Scranton’s Mock Trial Team is a group of dedicated students who train and compete in mock trial competitions throughout the academic year. Our team is comprised of students from across the University, from freshmen to seniors, and we are coached by seasoned local attorneys who donate their time to developing us as mock trial competitors and as people.
In a mock trial competition, students serve as attorneys and as witnesses and follow a typical court case process using fake case materials that are provided in advance. Teams are sometimes the prosecution or plaintiff, representing the guys bringing the lawsuit, and are sometimes the defense, supporting the person accused of doing wrong. For example, a recent criminal case involved a casino owner is accused of bribing a casino official, with witnesses including a casino dealer, a bellhop, casino security and an undercover cop. Teams are scored on how well they perform as attorneys and how well their witnesses perform. Ideal students for mock trial can include pre-law students, business students, theater students – any student can benefit and be successful!
Mock trial is an incredible opportunity for students to develop skills such as critical thinking, forming a persuasive argument, public speaking and thinking on your feet, which are essential whether you plan to attend law school or pursue another career. But most of all the team has fun-we spend hours working together on case development, practicing our arguments and traveling to competitions, we stand together and support each other in competitions and the resulting friendships and camaraderie will last a lifetime.
The University of Scranton is a member of the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) and participates in scrimmages, invitationals and tournaments sponsored by AMTA starting in the fall semester. More information about AMTA is available at http://www.collegemocktrial.org/. Case materials are released in mid-August each year and the regional round of the tournament is held in February and March.
Competition team(s) will begin forming at the end of the spring semester and finalized in the fall, but interested students are welcome to participate at any time. Prior experience is not required! If you are interested in learning more, please contact Assistant Professor and Faculty Advisor Jason A. Shrive, Esq. (jason.shrive@scranton.edu).
