Mock Trials

Two weeks ago, I judged a mock trial contest for the local high schools. It got some press last week. It was fun, but somewhat time-consuming. It’s also a good opportunity to interact with other lawyers from other segments of the profession – I got to hang with a public defender for a while, and with several of the judges in the local courthouse. I get to go again tonight for the semifinals, and I’m scheduled to judge the finals next week, too. My first week, I saw my old high school field a very impressive team; while I admit some affinity for the old school, it did not feel like it affected my grading very much – they were just better than their competition.

I would rather, frankly, have helped coach or train the other team from the public high school. These were bright kids who got thrown in to the competition at the last minute and, while they were beaten by an older, more experienced, and generally more confident group of students, they nevertheless presented a good case and did well with what, for them, was surely an overwhelming set of circumstances. Maybe next year I’ll volunteer to be an attorney coach instead of a judge.

So, I’m out of the office now to go do that tonight.

UPDATE (8:59 PM): Tonight's teams were not quite as impressive, but there were some bright moments. And it looks like I'll have a team of some kind to coach next year. That will be fun.