Anyone interested in politics, law, debate or a related discipline will be thrilled to hear that NC State has just the thing for them: the Mock Trial team. With a strong emphasis on teamwork, competition and improvement, the team offers a lot to its members.
Christopher Stock, club president and a junior studying political science, is enthusiastic about where the team has been and where it is going.
“We’re really growing in numbers and popularity, and this year we finished with the best record that we’ve ever had in our regional tournament,” Stock said.
At last year’s regional tournament, NC State’s team took home an assortment of awards, such as best witness.
Competitions are built around hypothetical cases, which each team studies and prepares to present from each side. The case released in September, giving the team several months to prepare. Each team is about 10 people, comprising three attorneys and several witnesses.
NC State competes against around 20 teams from all over the area. Last year, the competition was held at Campbell Law School and hosted by the UNC-Chapel Hill mock trial program. While the cases are fictitious, the commitment is very real.
“[Witnesses] go through affidavits and memorize information and work with attorneys to memorize answers,” Stock said. “It’s a big role, it’s a lot of responsibility.”
Even though competition involves significant amounts of time and effort, team members agree that the rewards outweigh the costs.
“My favorite part about the whole experience is competing […] It brings us together,” said Jack Tucker, a freshman studying political science.
“There’s a lot of team chemistry involved,” Tucker added.
The club is actively seeking new team members, and hopes to eventually expand to taking multiple teams to competition.
“We’re really trying to get our name out there and recruit as many people as possible,” Stock said.
While there is an interview process involved in joining the team, the primary goal is just to ensure that prospective members are fully aware of what the club expects of participants, and make sure that members work well together. The team encourages anyone with an interest in the legal profession, whether they are planning to be a trial lawyer or not, to get in touch with the club and see if it could be a part of their NC State experience.
“I would just encourage anyone who’s interested in going to law school, whether you’re sure or not, to get in touch with us and come out in the fall and give it a try,” Tucker said.
Anyone interested in law, public speaking or just being a member of an enthusiastic team might just find what they are looking for in the mock trial club. Interested students should contact [email protected].
