Talani Silpao, an attorney for Waukesha South High School, makes an argument for the defense in the 2023 State Finals tournament in Madison at the State Capitol.

Oct. 2, 2024 – Since its inception in 1983, the Wisconsin High School Mock Trial Program has brought our legal system to life for thousands of students.

Doing so, however, requires an army of volunteers who are lawyers and judges in Wisconsin. While you may be familiar with attorney-coaches – who work with their team throughout the season – and the attorneys and judges who volunteer for a day during the tournaments, there’s another position where volunteers are needed: as regional coordinator.

Regional coordinators make the regional tournaments happen. Regions in need of coordinator volunteers for 2025 include Appleton, Madison, and Juneau​.

“If you are willing to give a few hours and one full day in support of High School Mock Trial, we need you!” says Katie Wilcox, State Bar Mock Trial coordinator.

Here’s more information.

What Is a Mock Trial Regional Coordinator?

Simply put, the mock trial coordinator is responsible for coordinating the regional tournament, which takes place on Sat., Feb. 1, 2025.

For students, mock trial season begins with scrimmages coordinated by their coaches. The formal competition begins at the regional tournaments, held in various locations around the state. In all, there are as many as 11 regional tournaments – determined by the number of teams signed up to compete – that take place on one day. Each location needs at least one coordinator.

“Our regional coordinators are vital to making these tournaments happen,” Wilcox said.

The regional tournaments determine which teams compete in the state tournament rounds, which take place March 7-9, 2025, in Madison. The team that wins the finals competes in the national championship, which is in Wilmington, Delaware, in May 2025.

The task of a regional coordinator is more than volunteering for one day as a mock trial judge. A regional coordinator handles the logistics of making the regional tournament happen, coordinating the space and communicating with the judge volunteers and teams so they know where to go. The regional coordinator can be one individual or done with a group of volunteers.

Here are more details. The coordinator:

• reserves the courthouse space, with costs covered by the State Bar of Wisconsin;

• uses the region’s budget of $500 for awards and catering, and keeps receipts to turn into the State Bar for reimbursement;

• works with the State Bar to recruit judges for the regional tournament;

• communicates with volunteer judges, to provide them reminders, instructions, and materials;

• does the work needed on the day of the tournament, including training the judges, coordinating scorekeeping and supplies, ensuring teams get where they need to be, and hosting the awards ceremony at the end of the day.

Not sure how to do all this? Don’t worry – the State Bar provides training and support through the entire process, says Wilcox. “We have the materials and are your resource for learning how to do this.”

Regional coordinators are valued by the Law Foundation and the State Bar. In 2024, the Law Foundation honored a long-time regional coordinator, Beaver Dam attorney Cassel Villarreal. Read more about her.

Here’s How to Find Out More and Where to Sign Up

To volunteer as a regional coordinator – or to find out more information – contact Katie Wilcox by email or by phone at (608) 250-6191, or (800) 444-9404, ext. 6191.

If you aren’t able to volunteer as a coordinator, we still need volunteers to serve as tournament judges. Visit the Mock Trial Volunteers page on WisBar.org to sign up or to find out more.

More About Mock Trial

The Wisconsin High School Mock Trial Tournament is a State Bar of Wisconsin program funded by the Wisconsin Law Foundation, the charitable arm of the State Bar. Founded in 1983, the program helps students gain a deeper understanding of the legal system while developing leadership skills, critical thinking, problem-solving, public speaking, and how to work under pressure as part of a team.

The Wisconsin High School Mock Trial program is funded by a generous grant from the Wisconsin Law Foundation, the charitable arm of the State Bar of Wisconsin, supporting law-related education and public service programs statewide. Donations to the Wisconsin Law Foundation’s Mock Trial Fund can be made online at wisbar.org/wlfdonate.​