Welcome to Hunter College Mock Trial!
Hunter College Mock Trial is a newly founded, competitive team that hopes to teach students skills necessary for trial advocacy. Mock Trial is a way for undergraduate students to learn how to put on a real trial, just like any attorney would. Students can compete on a national level, developing critical thinking and enhancing communication skills on the way!
Mock trial is a competitive courtroom simulation. Teams from two different universities compete in a mock case: one school represents the prosecution/plaintiff, the other represents the defense. Much like in a real trial, each team delivers an opening statement, calls three witnesses to testify, cross examines the other team’s witnesses, and delivers a closing argument. However, unlike a real trial, mock trials are not scored on the merits of the case. You can lose the verdict but win the round. The rounds are scored by local legal practitioners – including attorneys, judges, and law professors. Tournaments typically consist of four rounds. Each team is required to represent the prosecution/plaintiff for two rounds and the defense for two rounds.
There is no other activity that better prepares you for law school than mock trial! You become intimately familiar with the Federal Rules of Evidence, you become familiar with trial procedures, you get an opportunity to construct a case theory and make legal arguments in front of experienced legal practitioners in real federal courthouses. The thing is, you don't have to be dreaming of law school to be a part of the Mock Trial team. Anyone interested in getting the opportunity to travel, to compete, meet students and to experience the excitement of winning as a team should join!
