Recently, 250 teams from 203 high schools across Pennsylvania competed in a virtual setting in district and regional levels of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Statewide High School Mock Trial Competition sponsored by the association’s Young Lawyers Division.

Teams from Region 5, Berks and Lehigh counties participating in the 2022 Statewide Mock Trial Competition were from the following schools: Allentown Central Catholic High School, Daniel Boone Area High School, Emmaus High School, Fleetwood Area High School, Parkland High School and Schuylkill Valley High School.

“This mock trial competition is designed to challenge students’ critical thinking skills, effective presentation techniques and dispute resolution tactics,” PBA Young Lawyers Division Chair Paul D. Edger said. “All of these elements can help prepare students to be successful in any future workplace setting whether it involves the field of law or other business sectors.

“PBA is pleased to play a role in this exciting learning opportunity that many teachers, legal professionals and volunteers have helped to make possible. Though the competition will be virtual again this year, PBA believes it will be a beneficial and memorable experience for all student participants.

Now in its 39th year, Pennsylvania’s mock trial program is one of the largest in the nation.

“I have witnessed amazing high school students over the years present cases that a skilled litigator would have difficulty with,” Edger said. “This program is a shining example of the PBA’s mission to promote legal education and the quality of students that come out of this program every year is a great testament to that.”

During the competition, eight-member student teams are given the opportunity to argue both sides of the case before a judge.

The students, who play the roles of lawyers, witnesses, plaintiffs and defendants, are assisted by teacher coaches and lawyer advisers in preparing for competition.

Lawyers and community leaders serve as jurors and sometimes judges for the mock trials.

The juries determine the winners in each trial based on the teams’ abilities to prepare their cases, present arguments and follow court rules.

The district and regional levels of the competition continued throughout February and March.

At the conclusion of the local competitions, 16 high school mock trial teams advanced to the PBA Statewide Mock Trial Championships, March 25 and 26.

The winning team of the state championship, Abington Heights High School from Lackawanna County, will represent Pennsylvania in the national mock trial finals to be held virtually May 12-14.

This year’s hypothetical case was a criminal trial to determine whether the defendant is guilty of murdering a man of great wealth who was a former critical player in the horse-racing industry with an extensive list of connections.

The case was written by Jonathan A. Grode and Paul W. Kaufman, both of Philadelphia.

Grode and Kaufman have been involved in the drafting of these materials for the past eight years.

For more information about the 2022 PBA Statewide Mock Trial Championships and to read this year’s case, visit https://www.pabar.org/site/For-the-Public/Mock-Trial-Competition.

Interested volunteers should contact the PBA’s Maria Engles at 800-932-0311, ext. 2223.

Founded in 1895, the Pennsylvania Bar Association strives to promote justice, professional excellence and respect for the law; improve public understanding of the legal system; facilitate access of legal services and serve the lawyer members of the state’s largest organized bar association.