High School Mock Trial
(Continued from Page 9) Students who participate in mock trial don’t tell lawyer jokes. Every student I have coached in mock trial has come away with a greater respect for both lawyers and the legal process. If you ask the students why they participate and spend long hours preparing for competition, however, they won’t talk about how it makes them stronger students or more respectful of the legal system. Their answer is almost always “because it is fun.” That is why working with mock trial students is so rewarding for teachers and attorney-coaches. The students have an infectious enthusiasm. They love the challenge. They genuinely enjoy testing their wits and skills against their peers. They also genuinely enjoy the opportunity to work with real lawyers and judges before trial and to get their feedback and advice during the competition. Unfortunately, the level of participation in mock trial in Kansas is much lower than in many other states. While many of the Johnson County schools field teams, in recent years none of the schools west of Johnson County have participated, except for a handful of schools in Wichita. There are plenty of talented students who could excel at mock trial. Kansas is routinely one of the strongest states in the country in debate and forensics. Every year the KBA sends letters to all the schools in the state inviting them to field teams. However, those letters usually land on the desk of a teacher who is already very busy, doesn’t have any background in the law and doesn’t know how to coach mock trial. While the KBA offers to help
10 February 2011 | The Journal of the Kansas Bar Association
find attorney-coaches for schools, teachers are often nervous about bringing someone they don’t know into their classroom. Since there is no tradition of mock trial in their school, it is easier to ignore the letter and not participate. To increase participation in Kansas we need lawyers, especially those with children in the school, to approach their local schools and volunteer to coach. Once a program gets started it is often selfperpetuating because the students become so eager to compete, but it takes someone to get the ball rolling. The time spent helping to coach mock trial will be rewarding and well worth the time and effort. Ponce de Leon never found the fountain of youth. He was looking in the wrong place. It exists anywhere a mentor sparks the enthusiasm or feeds the curiosity of a young mind. On behalf of all my students at the Independent School and all of the mock trial competitors in the state, thank you for providing this valuable opportunity. n About the Author John Steere graduated from the University of Kansas Law School in 1987, where he was Order of the Coif and articles editor of the Kansas Law Review. He was an associate at Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP in Overland Park and became a partner at Fleeson, Gooing, Coulson & Kitch LLC in Wichita. In 2000 he joined the staff at The Independent School in Wichita, where he teaches AP U.S. History and AP U.S. Government as well as coaches debate and mock trial.
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