UW Mock Trial Competition
The University of Washington In-House Mock Trial Competition offers 2nd and 3rd year law students the opportunity to hone their oral advocacy skills before a panel of Seattle area lawyers and judges in a lifelike trial setting.
The competition runs for 5 rounds over 5 days. The Student Advocates prep both sides of the case and argue as either prosecution/ plaintiff or defense on each of the first two nights. Should student advocates advance past the first two nights, the final three rounds are single elimination.
Ana-Maria Popp and Adrian Madrone WIN 2007 Mock Trial Competition
During each round of the competition, Student Advocates give opening and closing statements, conduct direct and cross examinations of witnesses, argue pretrial motions in limine, and contest evidentiary issues. Student Advocates spend countless hours preparing for the trial in addition to their already grueling course loads.
In 2007, Adrian Madrone (3L) and Ana-Maria Popp (3L) won the University of Washington In-House Mock Trial Competition, defeating Ben Carr (2L) and Cooper Offenbecher (2L) in the closest Mock Trial Final to date. The final ballot came down to a single point difference. Madrone and Popp took home 1st and 2nd Place Overall Speaker Awards respectively, with runner up Ben Carr taking the 3rd Place Speaker Award.
Congratulations to Adrian & Ana-Maria and all other competitors who did a fine job in this year’s competition.
November 13, 2006–November 17, 2006
The Mock Trial Competition is designed to strengthen competitor’s trial advocacy skills through practice and competition. Further, students will have the opportunity to receive constructive feedback from members of the Seattle legal community.
Competitors will be judged on their presentation, style, persuasiveness and their overall trial techniques. The competitors will get the chance to complete a full trial from pre-trial motions through closing arguments. This is a unique opportunity for participants to hone their trial skills in an in-house competition.
Competition Schedule
| Event | Date | Time & Location |
| General Info. Session | Thursday, October 12th | 12:30pm Room 138 |
| Registration Begins (competition capped at 24 teams) | Monday, October 16th | Sign-up on MCHB Door (check for $40 in MCHB mailbox in Room 136) |
| Registration Deadline Thursday, October 26th 9:00am | Training Sessions October 30- November 9th | Specific Dates and Times TBA |
| Case File Distributed | Friday, October 27th | Via email & on reserve in library |
| Pairings for Preliminary Rounds Posted | November 9th | 5:00pm via email and near MCHB office |
| Preliminary Rounds | November 13th & 14th | Competitors must check in by 6:00pm each night |
| Quarterfinal (8 teams) & Semi-final (4 teams) Rounds | November 15th & 16th | Competitor Check in at 6:00pm.Pairings will be distributed via email the night before after final scoring of previous rounds |
| Final Round (2 teams) | Friday, November 17th | Competitor Check in at 6:30pm |
Competition Structure
Each team will consist of two students. Each team member must participate in either the opening or closing argument, one direct examination, and one cross examination. Teams will be paired at random for the preliminary rounds, acting as the prosecution one night and the defense on the other night. Teams must provide their own witnesses, and the prosecution must provide a bailiff responsible for keeping time during the round.
