Williams College Mock Trial & Moot Court

The mission of the Williams College Mock Trial Team is to bring students together interested in Mock Trial together, to empower undergraduate students, with a basic, general, and practical understanding of litigation, to compete in tournaments at the local, regional, and national level, and to WIN!!!

What is Mock Trial?

Mock Trial is a competitive trial simulation. We compete with other colleges all across the nation on a realistic case involving civil and criminal charges (murder, defamation, manslaughter, unlawful death… etc). Each University prepares their case as if it were a real trial case in a U.S. Court by, choosing their witnesses, creating direct and cross examinations, opening statements, closing arguments, and objections. This is particularly interesting and realistic because you never really know what the other schools are going to come up with. Each competition is sanctioned by The American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) with practicing judges and attorneys presiding over and scoring the competition. Each Team of 7-10 members consists of 3 attorneys, 3 witnesses, 1-2 timekeepers, and alternate witnesses/attorneys. The attorneys for each team must abide by the rules of evidence created by AMTA (They are very similar to the Federal Rules of Evidence). Witnesses get to interpret their affidavits in conjunction with the case and create a persona that makes each witness unique.

Who can join the Mock Trial Team? Any active Williams College student can join. Majors, Concentrations, etc… are not constraints. We seek out charismatic, well spoken people who can think on their feet.

What kind of commitment am I making if I join the team? This depends on your aspirations. During the season, we meet during our regular class hours (see “Do I get credit for this”) which are Monday’s from 6pm-8:45pm. Although, as competitions approach, we do add additional meeting times to practice (Usually Saturdays or Sundays). We also attend Invitationals throughout the season at various universities (i.e. Miami, UF, FSU, Kennesaw… just to name a few). These will usually take up a 1-2 days over the weekend in which we travel, compete, and return. As far as roles go, being an attorney will require the most time. Attorneys must be involved in every aspect of the case, and know it inside and out. Witnesses must be know their affidavits and portray their character in a realistic manner. Time Keepers are required to keep the time of all aspect of the case (Because we only have a certain amount of time total to try the case). Pending on your role within the team, and what part of the season we are in, a member can expect to spend 4-20 hours a week on Mock Trial (it may sound like a lot, but once you get involved, you see that it isn’t). and obviously those numbers will rely upon how much responsibility you wish to take with the team.

How will this team benefit me in the long run? The Williams College Mock Trial Team is an invaluable experience for any student. To name some of the benefits, you will acquire public speaking skills, meet and work with other goal oriented students, network with professionals that help with post graduate studies, and… it looks amazing on a resume (especially if you win awards)! If you are at all interested in the practice of law, especially if you plan to go to law school, this experience will give you an upper hand on any of the other students.

How do I join the team? Simply contact Michelle Ryang (msr2@williams.edu) or Katherine Newcomer (kan2@williams.edu)

To learn more http://www.collegemocktrial.org/welcome/welcome.php

http://wso.williams.edu/wiki/index.php/Williams_College_Law_Society

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Williams-College-Mock-Trial/124222390982871?v=info