Nov. 7, 2012 – “Wisconsin hasn’t hosted the National Mock Trial Championship since 1992,” said State Bar of Wisconsin National Mock Trial Committee Chair Kevin Lonergan. “It’s an honor as well as a massive undertaking, and we will need close to 1,000 experienced mock trial judges all in the space of three days in May. Experience is the key word in the national rules. If you have never volunteered or haven’t in several years for the state program, you might not be able to participate in nationals in 2014.”

It will take more than just “volunteering” to serve as a judge for the National High School Mock Trial Championship in Madison in May of 2014 … so if you hope to participate in that major event … here’s what you need to do now. Volunteer as a judge for the 2013 Wisconsin Mock Trial program. It’s as simple as that.

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 semi-finals 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 2013 Wisconsin case is being written by Criminal Law Section members Anne Bensky, Kristen Lonergan, Ashley Richter, Hannah Schieber, Eric Schulenburg, and Tonya Turchik with guidance and review from Ellen Henak, Michael Rosenberg, and Charles Senn.

For more information or to volunteer, contact Marsha Varvil-Weld, State Bar Public Education Coordinator at (608) 250-6191 or email mvarvil-weld@wisbar.org.