About Us
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Mock Trial team is a student-led organization competing in mock trial competitions across the nation. Our member-elected Executive Board leads the organization. We have a few coaches who help us out with material throughout the year. The team generally consists of around 30 UT students after fall tryouts have been completed. We hold tryouts every fall in late August and early September, and students selected for the team will compete throughout the entirety of that academic year. In the fall, we attend private invitational tournaments, and in the spring, we compete in the American Mock Trial Association Championship Series. This consists of a Regional Tournament, an Opening Round Championship Series (ORCS) Tournament, and a National Championship Tournament, consecutively.
Our Mission: To educate and empower students to be confident and knowledgeable in the process of litigation.
Our Vision: To be an organization that serves to provide an empowered future for its members.
AMTA |
The American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) "was founded in 1985 by Dean Richard Calkins of Drake Law School. AMTA serves as the governing body for intercollegiate mock trial competition. Through engaging in trial simulations in competition with teams from other institutions, students develop critical thinking and public speaking skills, as well as a knowledge of legal practices and procedures. AMTA sponsors regional and national-level competitions, as well as providing interesting and complex case materials for academic use" (from www.collegemocktrial.org). UT Mock Trial is a member of AMTA, and each year competes in AMTA tournaments.
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HOW DOES MOCK TRIAL WORK? |
At the beginning of each school year, AMTA provides every mock trial team in the nation with a single case packet. This packet includes information about a made up event that either has led to one party suing another or one party being accused of a criminal offense. One year, for example, the case packet detailed a scuba diving expedition in which a man drowned and his wife was suing the diving company for being responsible for his death. Another year, the case was about the attempted murder of a person's spouse by the victim's lover. Teams must then prepare both sides of the case: they must be able to make a case for both the plaintiff/prosecution and the defense. Some of the team must be able to act as witnesses that were involved in this event and testify during the trial, while other members must play as attorneys. Attorneys must be able to speak clearly and articulately, as well as think on their feet and know the facts of the case very well. Witnesses must offer interesting and engaging testimony that convinces the jury that they were actually involved in this made up event.
Come tournament day, a team will participate in four rounds against schools across the nation. During two rounds they act as the prosecution, and two they act as the defense. Individual members are scored by actual attorneys and judges based on how convincing they play their parts. At the end of the round, the team with the most points wins. |