Mock Trial

Catalog description

Trials are powerful human inventions, supporting both discovery of knowledge and conflict resolution. This course will introduce students to the use of legal reasoning and argument in the context of mock trials. Students will develop skills in formulating, presenting, and critiquing legal arguments. Through practice and access to legal documents, we will explore the theory behind the adversarial system, including its ethical foundations, and the various procedural and evidentiary rules in place to achieve the system's goals. Students will also explore the - dimensions of law, both in terms of the ethical content of law as well as the components of legal practice. Students will discuss how the rules of logic and reasoning govern the application of the law to the facts. In a mock trial, students engage in a trial of a fictional civil or criminal case. To prepare, students will learn the techniques used to conduct trials, including opening statements, direct examinations, cross examinations, closing arguments, and objections. The class will break up into two or more teams, and each team will prepare either the plaintiff’s case or the defense’s case. At the end of the semester, the teams will compete against each other in a mock trial.