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Mock trial team will compete at nationals
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Collin College s mock trial team recently competed in the Great Southern Regional Tournament in Houston. The team was the only two-year institution to qualify for the national competition following the regional event.
I ve got a very talented team, said Bob Franklin, faculty advisor for the mock trial team. The students are motivated and work hard. Most schools have four credit programs, meaning their students receive class credit for being on the team, but Collin doesn t have that program. Students here can walk away without repercussions, but they are dedicated.
Collin College finished fourth behind the Air Force Academy and two University of Texas teams. The Collin College team beat out The University of Texas at Dallas, Texas A&M University, Houston Baptist University, St. Thomas University, The University of Texas at El Paso, Baylor University and others.
The Collin College team includes students studying paralegal, criminal justice and general studies. All competing colleges are required to prepare a team of six to eight students who will present a prosecution and a defense of a case. This year s regional competition was based on a defamation lawsuit brought on by a celebrity against a media outlet.
Franklin said his team is made up of students wanting to develop their leadership skills. Some of the students are interested in law and business. One team member is a single mom and another, a mother of three, is the mother hen of the group. Students range in age from 19 to 34 years, and most have full-time jobs. The team is interesting and diverse, Franklin said.
It s almost become a family environment; the team wants to stay in touch even after the competition, Franklin said. They ve really got close and have really have jelled as a team. They help each other out.
The team starts practice in August, when new case materials come out. They meet once a week on Sundays for three hours, discussing what actually happened in the case, developing strategy, and preparing witnesses, examination and cross examination.
The unintended effect of being on mock trial is the tremendous boost in self confidence and learning teamwork. It s a team effort as well as individual effort, Franklin said. The intended effect is to pad a resume for either a job or good college application.
Mock trials are like a real trial, but teams are limited to three witnesses from prosecution and three from defense. The entire trial is three hours long. There are two roles for team members: attorney or witness. Competitions, such as the upcoming nationals, have four rounds totaling 12 hours. Franklin said some tournaments run two to three days.
For every round of competition there are at least two judges, who oftentimes are real members of the judiciary. The tournament officials also use practicing attorneys. Teams must present a prosecution and defense twice. Before the trial starts, there is a meeting of team captains, who by luck of the draw learn of their team s opponent. A coin flip decides who will present which side of the trial. The plaintiff side chooses their first witness from a slate of 10 possible witness roles, and then the defense chooses. After the meeting, the trail begins with the plaintiff, then the defense, giving five-minute opening statements. The plaintiff calls its three witnesses and proceeds with direct examination; then the defense cross examines. After the plaintiff rests, the defense presents its witnesses. The final piece of the trial is a nine-minute closing statement to sum up trial.
All participants must operate on their own knowledge, Franklin said. They can t use any notes. Also, all rules of evidence and trial procedure are in effect; students are expected to object based on typical types of objections.
This is the team s fourth year of competition. In November, the Collin College squad was the only community college team to compete in the Baylor Invitational Tournament; it tied for second with Southern Methodist University. Collin College s mock trial team was invited to the opening rounds of the national championship. They will compete March 27-29 in Memphis, Tenn. against 24 other teams including Rhodes University, Tufts University, Boston College, Vanderbilt, Air Force Academy and UT Austin. There are six opening rounds in the country; the top four teams from each round will advance. Teams will then compete at the 25th annual American Mock Trial National Championship April 17-19 in Des Moines, Iowa.
What I m most proud of is that after just four years, the college has gone this far. No other community college has gone this far in competitions, Franklin said. The fact that a two-year is able to progress this far is amazing; these are first- and second-year students going against third and fourth year. Some of our students are coming back to college from the real world ; they bring a different life experience.
Contact Heather Smith at HSmith@acnpapers.com
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