The Rocky Hill School Mock Trial team won their first case in the preliminary rounds of the 28th annual Rhode Island Mock Trial Tournament.
Rocky Hill represented the defense and Central High School from Providence played the prosecution. In courtroom 3-E of the Kent County Courthouse, Rocky Hill lawyers played by Michael Caramadre '12, Taylor Hernowitz '14 and Jasmine Jencks '14, successfully defended their client, Tayler Durden (Julia Hirsch '15), against charges of manslaughter and hazing. Additional witnesses included pathologist Ryan Paulson (Seth Curtis '12), and college student Carson Baker (Kyla Teeters '14).
It was a great start to the season, and the team is thankful for the parents who were able to attend the trial. Additional mock trial team members include Amelia Caramadre '14 and Vaughn Gooding '13.
More About Mock Trial
In the Mock Trial Tournament, there is one case for each season. All the information including tournament rules, case synopsis, witness statements, applicable statutes, and evidence are compiled in a case book that is published by the Rhode Island Legal/Educational Partnership.
The Rocky Hill Mock Trial Team meets twice a week to prepare for trials. In their meetings, they study the casebook, write opening and closing statements and questions for direct and cross examination of witnesses.
There are three preliminary round trials. Each team defends once, prosecutes once, and then prosecutes or defends again in the third trial. If a team wins its three preliminary trials, it makes it into the round of 16, and with subsequent victories, into the quarter, semi, and final rounds.
In each trial, there are three lawyers and three witnesses for each side. The cases are held in courtrooms around the state with judges and lawyers volunteering during their lunch hours to hear the cases. The judges preside over the cases and the lawyers sit in the jury boxes evaluating the performances of each member of each team.
The trials take about an hour, during which a lawyer from each team presents an opening argument, followed by the direct and cross examination of prosecution witnesses, direct and cross examination of defense witnesses (including the defendant). A lawyer from each team presents a closing statement. After that, the judge critiques each team’s performance.
Points are awarded for each segment of the trial: opening and closing statements, direct and cross examinations, witness performances, and overall team strategy. On the whole, it is a wonderful exercise that exposes students to the function of the courts, legal arguments, public speaking, and the importance of professional dress.
While it is essentially a very basic introduction to litigation, some of the most important lessons that can be drawn from it can be applied to many professional situations. In brief, the objective of mock trial is not necessarily to train young lawyers, but to expose students to analytical reasoning, persuasive speech, and to maintaining composure under pressure.