The University affiliate of the American Mock Trial Association returned to Baton Rouge after a busy weekend in Jackson, Mississippi. The club’s focus is a delicate blend of attempting to win each case it receives while enjoying time spent in the mock courtroom. One of the younger clubs on campus, LSU Mock Trial was founded in the spring of 2014 by several students who had experience with mock trials in high school. It competed in its first tournament the following spring. The competitions are sponsored by the American Mock Trial Association, an organization that presides over all collegiate mock trial teams in the country.
The club generally competes in one tournament every spring. The number of club members varies each year, and if the number is greater than usual, the club will sometimes split into two teams for the tournament. For every tournament, the AMTA will assign a case several months in advance of the tournament. The teams defend both sides at the tournament, and judges grade each team member individually and give feedback.
One interesting quirk of the mock trials is that not every club member acts as an attorney or prosecutor. Club members must also be witnesses, making some trials almost like a play. There is an acting element that most people who have never seen a mock trial do not understand. Club president Savanah Dickinson said this is what sets the club apart from simply debating facts.
“[People] think we’re a debate team. They don’t understand the acting aspect because it’s supposed to be entertaining,” Dickinson said. “What you see on TV, it’s like that, but in a much more detailed, complicated fashion. You’re pretending to be an attorney, so you dress like an attorney and act like an attorney.”
The acting aspect makes the club more compelling and fun for a lot of the members. Political science junior Jacob McCon said the club provides a unique way to learn more about law procedures while making friends in the process.
“I really enjoy the mock trial club we have here at LSU,” McCon said. “It’s a very fun and challenging environment where future attorneys — or anyone really — can learn a lot about courtroom advocacy and make great friends.”
In the most recent tournament at Mississippi College, the club competed against the University of Georgia and the University of Alabama. Of the 25 clubs that competed, eight of them advanced to the next round. The school hosting the tournament picks judges to preside over each case. These judges may be professors, former mock trial members and are sometimes actual judges.
The mock trial greatly resembles an actual court of law, but the cases are condensed to three hours. All rules and procedures are the same as in a legal court of law, and club members are expected to treat the judges and opposition with respect, as if they were participating in a real trial.
The tournament in Jackson means the club is wrapping up for the school year. Now it will begin recruiting for next semester when it will receive its next case from the AMTA. The club will review court proceedings, discuss the case, assign roles and begin working to win another case.
The University affiliate of the American Mock Trial Association returned to Baton Rouge after a busy weekend in Jackson, Mississippi. The club’s focus is a delicate blend of attempting to win each case it receives while enjoying time spent in the mock courtroom. One of the younger clubs on campus, LSU Mock Trial was founded in the spring of 2014 by several students who had experience with mock trials in high school. It competed in its first tournament the following spring. The competitions are sponsored by the American Mock Trial Association, an organization that presides over all collegiate mock trial teams in the country.
The club generally competes in one tournament every spring. The number of club members varies each year, and if the number is greater than usual, the club will sometimes split into two teams for the tournament. For every tournament, the AMTA will assign a case several months in advance of the tournament. The teams defend both sides at the tournament, and judges grade each team member individually and give feedback.
One interesting quirk of the mock trials is that not every club member acts as an attorney or prosecutor. Club members must also be witnesses, making some trials almost like a play. There is an acting element that most people who have never seen a mock trial do not understand. Club president Savanah Dickinson said this is what sets the club apart from simply debating facts.
“[People] think we’re a debate team. They don’t understand the acting aspect because it’s supposed to be entertaining,” Dickinson said. “What you see on TV, it’s like that, but in a much more detailed, complicated fashion. You’re pretending to be an attorney, so you dress like an attorney and act like an attorney.”
The acting aspect makes the club more compelling and fun for a lot of the members. Political science junior Jacob McCon said the club provides a unique way to learn more about law procedures while making friends in the process.
“I really enjoy the mock trial club we have here at LSU,” McCon said. “It’s a very fun and challenging environment where future attorneys — or anyone really — can learn a lot about courtroom advocacy and make great friends.”
In the most recent tournament at Mississippi College, the club competed against the University of Georgia and the University of Alabama. Of the 25 clubs that competed, eight of them advanced to the next round. The school hosting the tournament picks judges to preside over each case. These judges may be professors, former mock trial members and are sometimes actual judges.
The mock trial greatly resembles an actual court of law, but the cases are condensed to three hours. All rules and procedures are the same as in a legal court of law, and club members are expected to treat the judges and opposition with respect, as if they were participating in a real trial.
The tournament in Jackson means the club is wrapping up for the school year. Now it will begin recruiting for next semester when it will receive its next case from the AMTA. The club will review court proceedings, discuss the case, assign roles and begin working to win another case.
The University affiliate of the American Mock Trial Association returned to Baton Rouge after a busy weekend in Jackson, Mississippi. The club’s focus is a delicate blend of wanting to win every case they receive while enjoying their time in the mock courtroom.One of the younger clubs on campus, LSU Mock Trial, was founded in the spring of 2014 by several students who had experience with mock trials in high school. It competed in its first tournament in the following spring. The competitions are sponsored by the American Mock Trial Association, an organization that presides over all collegiate mock trial teams in the country.
The club generally competes in one tournament every spring. The number of club members varies each year, and if the number is greater than usual, the club will sometimes split into two teams for the tournament. For every tournament, the AMTA will assign a case several months in advance of the tournament. The teams defend both sides at the tournament, and judges grade each team member individually and give feedback.
One interesting quirk of the mock trials is that not every club member acts as an attorney or prosecutor. Club members must also be witnesses, making some trials almost like a play. There is an acting element that most people who have never seen a mock trial do not understand. Club president Savanah Dickinson said this is what sets the club apart from simply debating facts.
“[People] think we’re a debate team. They don’t understand the acting aspect because it’s supposed to be entertaining,” Dickinson said. “What you see on TV, it’s like that, but in a much more detailed, complicated fashion. You’re pretending to be an attorney, so you dress like an attorney and act like an attorney.”
The acting aspect makes the club more compelling and fun for a lot of members. Political science junior Jacob McCon said the club provides a unique way to learn more about law procedures while making friends in the process.
“I really enjoy the mock trial club we have here at LSU,” McCon said. “It’s a very fun and challenging environment where future attorneys — or anyone really — can learn a lot about courtroom advocacy and make great friends.” 
In the most recent tournament at Mississippi College, the club competed against the University of Georgia and the University of Alabama. Of the 25 clubs that competed, eight of them advanced to the next round. The school hosting the tournament picks judges to preside over each case. These judges may be professors, former mock trial members and sometimes actual judges.
The actual trial greatly resembles an actual court of law, but the cases are condensed to three hours. All rules and procedures are the same as in a legal court of law, and club members are expected to treat the judges and opposition with respect as if they were participating in a real trial. The tournament in Jackson means the club is wrapping up for the school year. Now they will begin recruiting for next semester which is when they will receive their next case from the AMTA. They will review court proceedings, discuss the case, assign roles and begin working to win another case.