Xavier High School Mock Trail team with Wisconsin Supreme Court justices. Xavier took first place for the second year in a row.

March 21, 2012 – Appleton’s Xavier High School won the Mock Trial state championship, narrowly beating Shorewood High School on March 12. The teams faced off before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Xavier will represent Wisconsin at the National Mock Trial Championship in Albuquerque, N. M., in May. The State Bar sponsors the Mock Trial program.

The case

The O’Neill’s and the McDougal’s have been neighbors for years. Now, the property line is in question. Who has been using the property? For what purpose? Who is the rightful owner? Students were challenged to present their side of the case with an interesting array of characters.

“The Mock Trial program is a team effort that depends on the large and generous support of a myriad of people,” said Mock Trial Task Force Chair Ellen Henak. “Those who write the case problem are often unseen and unsung, but they are essential and we owe them our gratitude.”

This year, members from the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section and the Young Lawyers Division gave their talent and months of their time before the competition officially began. Even after the writing was done, they graciously donated additional time to help recruit the hundreds of attorneys and judges who judged the competition at the regional and state tournament and, in many cases, to judge at those tournaments.

A huge team effort

“The State Bar thanks the Wisconsin Supreme Court, the attorneys and judges who judged at the tournaments, the many teachers and attorneys who coached the approximately 100 teams participating, to the Wisconsin and Marquette law students who helped with the scoring, and especially to the attorneys who toiled in obscurity to coordinate the regional tournaments across the state,” said Henak.“We cannot thank any of these people and groups enough for their help in ensuring a successful 2011 -12 program and for their devotion to the students we serve.”

About the Mock Trial Program

The Mock Trial Program teaches high school students about the law and the legal system while they participate in a simulated trial. Each school year, hundreds of high school students participate in the State Bar’s Mock Trial program. Acting as lawyers and witnesses on both sides of a fictional case, students compete against each other in regional competitions throughout the state in February. The winners of the semifinals then compete before the Wisconsin Supreme Court in March. Teams are scored on their knowledge of the rules of evidence, the quality of their direct and cross examinations, and opening and closing statements.

The State Bar thanks the Wisconsin Law Foundation and the State Bar’s Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section, Criminal Law Section, Litigation Section, Energy and Telecommunications Section, Henak Law Office S.C., and Association of Corporate Counsel America for their financial support of the program.

Visit the statebarofwi on Facebook for photos of the final and semifinal competitions.