UVM Mock Trial
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is mock trial?
Mock trial is an academic club that travels and competes in scrimmages, invitationals, and AMTA official compitions. Participants take on the roles of attorneys and witnesses, and using critical thinking, debating and public speaking skills, as well as thorough knowledge of the case and legal procedure, compete against teams from other universities by arguing their case in front of a panel of judges.
Where can I see the 2010-2011 AMTA Casebook?
As soon as it is available, the username and password to download the
casebook for this year will be posted for team members here.
What is an AMTA Casebook?!
The AMTA Casebook is what we use to prepare our trial for competitions. It has the witness roles, exhibits, documents, case law, and much more.
I've never done mock trial before! Can I still join?
Of course! Whether or not you have participated in mock trial competitions
before, we are looking for new members who are willing to work hard,
learn new things, and have fun.
What is the time commitment?
Like a varsity sports team, mock trial is a significant time
commitment. We meet three times per week for approximately
ten hours total, in addition to travelling to competitions on the
weekends. As a member of mock trial, you can expect to come to
every meeting, as well as doing work individually.
Why should I join UVM Mock Trial?
Joining
mock trial will give you the chance to meet new people and to travel to
invitational tournaments on the weekends. You will learn about
law and courtroom procedure, as well as improving your public speaking
skills as well as your ability to think critically. In addition, mock
trial provides an opportunity for students to play different witnesses
and try out their acting abilities.
Mock Trial sounds like a lot of work. What else do you do?
Members of UVM Mock Trial spend a lot of
time together. Besides working in meetings and traveling together, we
try to keep each other sane by having non-mock-trial-related social
events. Over the course of our 2009-2010 season, we did movie nights,
board games, played ultimate frisbee, went hiking, attempted to go
ice-skating, watched Law & Order SVU, and played practical jokes on
each other. None of it's mandatory of course, but UVM Mock Trial-ers
generally find that when we aren't arguing about objections, we enjoy
each others company.
How do I join?
Sign up to receive information by visiting our table at activities fairs and joining out Lynx@UVM page. In addition, keep your eyes and ears peeled for posters and flyers with dates for our information sessions once the semester begins.
Who should I contact with additional questions?
Click
on the "Contact Us" section and send a member of the team an email. You can also send an email to mocktrial@uvm.edu, or visit our Lynx@UVM site. We also have a formspring page which you are free to utilize as well.
Additional Resources