They supply this case to the team in the form of case booklet, which contains all of the information that the team may use to build their argument.
This information includes all pertinent details of the case, including witness statements, pre-trial stipulations, exhibits, and more. No team may use any outside sources except for the case booklet when preparing and making their arguments. Before the competition, students will form teams of a few students, and students will assign themselves specific roles in the trial like trial attorneys, witnesses, and pre-trial attorneys. They must also assign a bailiff and a timekeeper.
Together, the team must prepare a strong argument for both the prosecution and defense side. Which side they actually argue during the competition will be decided at the competition itself.
During the actual competition, each Mock Trial is highly structured. Certain parts of the trial must be adhered to like the Opening Statements, Direct Examinations, Cross Examinations, and Closing statements, and each of these sections is timed. The time limits for each section are as follows:.
Time limits may vary per state, and the timekeeper is responsible for keeping track of time. The only time the clock stops is for an objection. The judge may then choose to overrule it, sustain it, or ask opposing counsel to defend their objected act.
Since there is no time limit on objections, these battles could technically go on for hours before the judge finally makes a call. Placement at the conclusion of the tournament is determined by the number of ballots won out of 8 possible.
Note that some trials will have 3 judges. In a round with 3 judges, 2 judges score, and the third serves as the presiding judge.
In a round with 2 judges, both judges score, and one also serves as the presiding judge. No regional rounds have more than 2 scoring judges. Can we find out how we are doing during the tournament? Each team is permitted to have one representative in the Tabulation Room, which is where ballots are scored and rounds are paired. The ballots must remain in the Tabulation Room, and you will receive them at the conclusion of the awards ceremony. The Tabulation Room is closed after the fourth round, so you will not find out the results of your last round until the awards ceremony.
What do I do if there is an error on my ballot? There will be a 30 minute review period following each round during which you must bring any tabulation errors to the attention of a tournament official, whether or not the error is in your favor. Errors not brought to the attention of the tournament officials prior to the end of the 30 minute review period are waived.
Because the Tabulation Room is closed following the fourth round, the 30 minute review period for the fourth round takes place after the conclusion of the awards ceremony. What is the dress code? Student attorneys are generally expected to wear business professional attire, such as business suits. Witnesses may wear any costume or attire they consider appropriate for the character they are portraying as long as it does not violate Rules 1.
The captains of each team meet prior to each round to hear announcements, receive ballots, select witnesses, and show demonstratives to the opposing captains. Any disputes regarding demonstratives are resolved by a tournament official. How does witness selection work? More witnesses are available to each side than the 3 each is allowed to call in a trial.
Typically, some of the witnesses are available to be called by either side. As a result, teams will have to prepare backup witnesses in case their first choices are called by the other side first. Teams should fill out the top portion of each page of the ballot with their team number and the round number. They should also put the names of the students portraying each role as well as the names of the witnesses they are calling in the appropriate blanks on the white comment pages of the ballot.
The ballots are carbon copies, so you should not stack them while you fill them out. If you do, the bottom pages will be illegible. What is the format of the trial? The format of the trial is set forth in Rule 8. The round begins when the judges enter the room. Often, the teams will conduct a brief pre-trial before opening statements begin.
The defense is not permitted to reserve or delay its opening. The defense case-in-chief proceeds in the same manner. No rebuttal witnesses or re-calling of witnesses are permitted. What happens during pre-trial? Pre-trial is not required, and there are no set obligations for pre-trial.
What happens when the round is over? At the conclusion of the closing arguments, the judges must complete their blue ballots the pages containing the scores, labeled page 5 as quickly as possible. The judges may ask you to leave the room while they finish the ballots. Once the blue ballots are completed, they should be folded, and a representative of each team typically the timekeepers should take them to the Tabulation Room.
Once the blue ballots have left the room, judges will often give the teams some oral comments on their performances and advice for future rounds.
Your representative may review your ballots in the Tabulation Room, but may not take your copies until the conclusion of the awards ceremony. Am I allowed to use notes? Witnesses are not allowed to use notes or have their affidavits with them on the stand, unless the affidavit is shown to the witness to impeach him or to refresh his recollection in accordance with the Midlands Rules of Evidence. Attorneys are permitted to use notes, but judges may score them lower for doing so.
Most teams at regionals do not use notes. What objections can I make? Attorneys may make any objections that are consistent with the special instructions in the case materials and the Midlands Rules of Evidence. Only the attorney responsible for the direct or cross examination of a witness may object while that witness is on the stand.
No objections are permitted during openings and closings. Witnesses are permitted to invent background information about themselves to develop their characters, but they are not allowed to invent material facts that could affect the outcome of the trial. During a round, the only remedy for improper invention is impeachment. There is no objection to invention of fact.
In a typical impeachment, the witness is asked to confirm the statement he made on direct, and is then shown his affidavit, asked to authenticate the affidavit including his signature and the fact that he was under oath , and asked to admit that the impeachable statement cannot be found in the affidavit. Judges are instructed that teams inventing material facts should be scored down. Improper invention is considered cheating. If you believe that a team has engaged in egregious invention of fact, you may report that team to AMTA in accordance with Rule 8.
Note that it is not considered improper invention for a witness to invent facts on cross examination if he is asked a question the answer to which is not contained in the affidavit. How do I control a witness that rambles on cross? Mock trial witnesses often give long answers that go beyond the question that was asked. How to control the witness is a strategic decision on your part, and judges vary widely in the techniques they consider effective or appropriate.
What are the time limits of the trial components? The time limits can be found in Rule 4. Opening statements are limited to 5 minutes each. Each side is limited to 25 minutes for all 3 of its directs and 25 minutes for all 3 of its crosses. Teams are free to divide the 25 minutes between the 3 witnesses in any manner they choose.
Every Mock Trial team in that specific state will be arguing this same case, using only the case booklet; any outside sources are not allowed, in order to ensure each team is competing on equal footing. Students then work with their team to develop cases for both the prosecution and defense sides; come competition time, they will have to be prepared to present both arguments. Each side will appoint students who will take on the roles of trial attorneys, witnesses, and pre-trial attorneys, in addition to one bailiff and one timekeeper.
They will work together as a team to craft a strong, comprehensive, well-developed case that they will later present in competition. Mock trial is a highly structured activity. There are certain parts of the trial that all teams must go through, such as opening statements, direct examinations, cross examinations, closing arguments, and more.
All the components of the trial are strictly timed, and as such, students must be able to think quickly on their feet and communicate their points in a succinct yet effective manner. The exact time limits imposed on each aspect of the trial vary from state to state, so it is a good idea to check what regulations your specific state follows.
Some aspects of your case will likely be prepared in advance. For example, opening statements, which begin the trial, are usually scripted and rehearsed well before the actual competition.
Additionally, attorneys will generally thoroughly review their direct examinations on witnesses from their own side. However, other parts of your case must be developed on the fly, and change based on what the other team does throughout the course of the trial. As such, a strong Mock Trial participant must be able to think quickly on their feet.
Teams will generally thoroughly practice and build their case for several weeks or even months before competing. This includes team practices, scrimmages, and independent work on the case.
Then, the actual competition begins with teams going up against other local schools. Usually, these competitions are organized according to county; however, this tends to vary depending on your specific location. Successful teams may then advance to state-level or even national-level tournaments. However, it is important to note that not every state currently participates in the national tournament.
0コメント