Young Lawyers Section News
Mock Trial: Shaping Future Lawyers in Kansas By Vincent M. Cox, Fisher, Patterson, Sayler & Smith LLP, Topeka, vcox@fisherpatterson.com
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’ll admit it, becoming an attorney was one of the last things on my mind when I was in high school. I think I was too busy building my CD collection and working hard to be the skinny kid to make the varsity basketball and golf teams. Mock trial was not on my radar. In fact, there wasn’t even a mock trial program at my small rural Kansas high school. Maybe if mock trial had been available to me when I was in high school, I would have participated and had a jump start on what was to become my career as a lawyer. Through the efforts of the KBA Young Lawyers Section, every year hundreds of high school students across the state are getting the chance to participate in mock trial. The KBA YLS organizes and runs the annual statewide Kansas High School Mock Trial Tournament. This is by far one of the biggest and most important programs of the KBA YLS. For those of you unfamiliar with mock trial, it is a program and competition designed to provide high school students with an opportunity to learn the skills, procedures, and law involved in a jury trial setting. Teams consisting of typically six students prepare a case for trial, including providing the attorneys and witness. Teams are given a specific case problem to prepare. A unique part of mock trial is that each student team prepares to try the case as the prosecution or the defense, and will compete against other teams in each role within the course of one tournament. The ultimate goal of the mock trial program is to promote a better understanding of the legal process and to inspire a future generation of attorneys. The Kansas High School Mock Trial Tournament consists of a weekend of regional tournaments, which is then followed several weeks later by a state championship tournament for teams who qualify from the regional tournaments. Presently, there are two regional tournaments, one in Wichita and one in Olathe. Last year, I participated in my first mock trial tournament by volunteering for the Olathe regional. As a volunteer, I had the opportunity to judge, score, and assist with running the tournament. Consequently, I had the chance to watch a couple of rounds of the tournament, and I was blown away by the trial skills demonstrated by the high school students. Many of the students demonstrated a working knowledge of not only the rules of evidence, but also the strategy involved in trial practice. If I meet one of these students in the court room 10 years from now, I may be in trouble. The skills they demonstrated were fantastic. While there have been only two regional tournaments in the past, we hope to grow the tournament into at least one
8 October 2011 | The Journal of the Kansas Bar Association
more regional, if not more, in the near future. That’s where all attorneys across the state come in. The KBA YLS needs your help to continue to expand the mock trial program. Volunteering to coach a mock trial team, or to be a judge at a mock trial tournament, is a great way to have a positive impact on young people in the state. On top of that, you will enjoy and be thoroughly impressed watching how skilled high schoolaged people can be in the courtroom. I know I was. So, please take a moment and consider how you can help with the Kansas mock trial tournament. Is there a high school in your area that you think could have interest in starting a team that you could coach? Do you have any high school-aged children that would be interested in getting involved in mock trial? Could you spare one or two weekends this year to volunteer to be a judge at one of the mock trial tournaments? The KBA YLS needs your help to grow the Kansas mock trial program, to give more high school students the chance to compete in mock trial, and to learn the skills required for trial practice. This program is not only important for those high school students who want to become attorneys, but it also develops respect and understanding of the legal system for those students who go into different professions and helps develop confidence, speaking skills, and critical thinking that is required in all careers. Last year, the mock trial program was directed by the KBA YLS mock trial liaison, Jenny Michaels. Jenny did a fantastic job with the program, and she has graciously volunteered to run the program again this year. If you’re interested in learning more about the Kansas mock trial tournament, or if you want to volunteer or start a team, please contact Jenny at kansasmocktrial@gmail.com or contact me directly at (785) 232-7761 or at vcox@fisherpatterson.com. n About the Author Vincent M. Cox is an associate with the Topeka firm of Fisher, Patterson, Sayler & Smith LLP, where he maintains a civil litigation practice, consisting primarily of insurance law and defense. He received his bachelor’s degree from Benedictine College in 2002 and his juris doctorate from Washburn University School of Law in 2005, where he was a member of the Washburn Law Journal. Cox is a member of the Topeka and Kansas bar associations and is past president of the Topeka Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.
www.ksbar.org