Mock Trial Competition

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In cooperation with the Maryland Judicial Conference and Maryland State Bar Association, the Citizenship Law-Related Education Program for the Schools of Maryland (CLREP) sponsors an annual high school Mock Trial Competition each academic year. Since it began in 1983, almost 40,000 students from most counties in Maryland have participated.

Most teams compete at least four times in local matches, as both prosecution/plaintiff and defense. By the time a team has reached the state competition, they have competed, on average, 10-12 times. Virtually all competitions are held in either District or Circuit Courts. The top four teams from Maryland advance to Annapolis for the semi-finals; the top two teams then advance to the state championship, held in the Courts of Appeals courtroom in Annapolis.

The success of the Mock Trial Competition program is heavily dependent upon attorneys and judges who volunteer to coach teams and score competitions at local, regional, semi-final, and final levels. Each year, several hundred attorneys, masters and judges across the state volunteer for this program.

Objectives

• To further understanding of the law, court procedures, and the legal system;
  
• To increase proficiency in basic life skills such as listening, speaking, reading and reasoning
  
• To promote better communication and cooperation between the high school community and legal profession
  
• To heighten appreciation for academic studies as well as career consciousness of law-related professions

To learn more – including information about how to start a team – visit CLREP’s Mock Trial Competition page.

See the Webcast of the 2008 Mock Trial State Championship
For the first time, in 2008 the Maryland Judiciary webcast the Mock Trial State Championship live from the Maryland Court of Appeals. See the webcast from the April 25 event:

Mock Trial Championship 388.63 MB
Mock Trial Competition Results 77.41 MB