January 26, 2011 – Students from dozens of Wisconsin high schools will gather in courthouses and other venues across the state on Saturday, February 12 to compete in the 28th Annual Wisconsin High School Mock Trial Tournament sponsored by the State Bar of Wisconsin. The top twelve teams will move on to statewide competition in Madison on Sunday, March 13 and Monday, March 14. The team that finishes first in that competition will go on to represent Wisconsin at the National Mock Trial Championship in Phoenix on May 7 to 9.
Mock trials, which follow the rules and structure of a real court trial, offer teams of six to twelve high-school students the opportunity to argue a case before a three-person panel of judges, composed of volunteer attorneys and jurists. “This is an outstanding program that offers high school students the opportunity to develop critical thinking, public speaking, teamwork and other life skills while also gaining a deeper understanding of our justice system and the rule of law,” explains Atty. Kevin Palmersheim, chair of the State Bar’s Public Education Committee.
Palmersheim also praised the hundreds of volunteer lawyers, judges and teachers who will also be on hand on February 12 to give students realistic insights into court operations. Mock Trial competitions are open to the media and public from 8:00 AM to about 5:00 PM. Competition locations and participating high schools (some of which have multiple teams competing) are listed below:
Eau Claire County Courthouse, 721 Oxford Ave. in Eau Claire (Eau Claire Regis, River Falls, Somerset, Superior and Thorp High Schools);
Brown County Courthouse,100 S. Jefferson Street in Green Bay (Bay Port, De Pere, Green Bay East, Roncalli and Sturgeon Bay High Schools);
Wood County Courthouse, 400 Market Street in Wisconsin Rapids (D.C. Everest, Lakeland Union, Lincoln, Marshfield, Nekoosa, Rhinelander and Stratford High Schools);
Outagamie County Law Enforcement Center, 320 S. Walnut Street in Appleton (Appleton West, Berlin, Kaukauna, Sheboygan Area Lutheran and Xavier High Schools);
La Crosse County Courthouse, 333 Vine Street in La Crosse (Boscobel, La Crosse Central, La Crosse Logan, Luther, Prairie du Chien, Reedsburg and West Salem High Schools);
Rock County Courthouse, 51 South Main Street in Janesville (Badger Union, Belleville, FJ Turner, Kettle Moraine, New Glarus, Oregon and Whitewater High Schools);
Dane County Courthouse, 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Madison (De Forest, James Madison Memorial, La Follette, Madison West, Marshall, Middleton, Mineral Point, Mt. Horeb, River Valley, Sun Prairie and Waunakee High Schools);
Marquette Law School, in Milwaukee (Brookfield Academy, Brookfield East, Messmer, Mukwonago, Pewaukee, Pius Xl, Shorewood, Wauwatosa and Whitefish Bay High Schools);
Dodge County Courthouse, 105 N. Main Street in Juneau (Dodgeland, Hustisford, Kewaskum, Lodi, Mayville, Waterloo and Waupun High Schools);
Racine County Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Avenue in Racine (Christian Life, Franklin, Oak Creek, St. Catherine’s, Waterford and Whitnall High Schools).
The top twelve teams that will go on to compete in the state finals include each of the regional winners; the second place team from the 2010 winning region and one wildcard team. Additional information about the Mock Trial program, including attorneys from the participating communities who have volunteered to coach a Mock Trial team is available by contacting the State Bar’s Public Education Coordinator, Marsha Varvil-Weld at 608-250-6191. Additional information about the Wisconsin High School Mock Trial Tournament and other law-related education activities sponsored by the State Bar of Wisconsin can be found on the State Bar’s website.
Tom Solberg is the media relations coordinator for the State Bar of Wisconsin.
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