Something we get asked a lot is, “what exactly is mock trial and what do we do at competitions?”. Simply put, Mock Trial is a competitive activity to see who can put on a better fake trial and state their case in the best way possible.
Every year the American Mock Trial Association writes a fictional criminal or civil legal case full of witness statements and exhibits. We analyze the facts, and create the strongest prosecution/plaintiff or defense case theory. We learn rules of evidence, case law and objections to defend that case theory at trial. Then during trial, we act as witnesses and attorneys to present our case against another team. Our competitions take us all over the country, and our team often gets told by real attorney judges that we perform better than attorneys they've seen in an actual courtroom.
Whether or not you want to go into law school, Mock Trial is a great way to become confident in your public speaking skills, hone your writing ability, or learn how to craft an argument. So it's no surprise that Mock Trial looks great on any resume! If Mock Trial sounds like the RSO for you, please contact our Recruitment Chair, Calen Bernbeck, at mtrecruitment@unl.edu or our President, Grace Turner, at mtpresident@unl.edu to find out more about recruitment events for the upcoming season.
Find us at Big Red Welcolme events, or join us at our informational meetings on Thursday August 24th and Friday August 25th from 7:30-9 in the city campus Union! We look forward to seeing you there.