Looking for a new club to join and new friends to make? If so, Hinsdale South’s Mock Trial has you covered! Mock Trial focuses on tackling fictional court cases as if students are true legal professionals and participants. Students are provided a case by the Illinois State Bar Association, which comes complete with witnesses, testimonies, exhibits and more. Then, the Mock Trial team works together to build the case, deciding how to present the events that occurred on the night in question. When competition day comes, the team re-enacts the case as lawyers and witnesses to a live jury and judge. Whether or not you have an interest in law, Mock Trial could be the perfect club for you! Here are a few reasons why you should give it a try: 

• The team is really close knit.

Mock Trial enables you to form really close relationships with your peers. You may even find some forever friends, just like I did! Spending time going over a Mock Trial case together allows everyone on the team to get really close. Everybody is super nice to each other and welcoming.

• You don’t have to try out!

What’s great about Mock Trial is that anybody can join! While the club is competitive, there aren’t any try-outs, so you’re guaranteed a position on the team. Anyone can join and as long as you’re committed, you can get a great role! 

• You get to pick your role.

There are different roles within the club and you get to choose which one you get to play. It’s very similar to acting, and getting to be another person and take on a character is a lot of fun! You also get to choose the side you get to be on: prosecution or defense. Prosecution is when you are trying to charge someone with a crime and get them convicted. Defense is pretty self-explanatory—you are defending the person on trial and trying to get them out of trouble. If you are great at thinking quickly on your feet, you can show the club sponsor, Mrs. Lencioni, that you will be a great lawyer. If you don’t want to be a lawyer you could also become a witness (what I was last year). You are given a character (which you grow into) and you have to deliver your lines meaningfully and persuasively. If you’re not comfortable with talking, you can also become a timekeeper, where you keep track of the time allowed for the lawyers to speak. If you enjoy writing, you’ll be an excellent asset to the team. You get to craft a story and write about how you will choose to portray this case to the judge. All in all, there’s something for everyone when it comes to Mock Trial. 

• We get to go on field trips.

Although COVID caused us to compete solely on Zoom last year, we usually get to travel for the club. We go on fun field trips and have the opportunity to compete in-person in real life court rooms!

• We compete against other schools.

Mock Trial is a competitive club so yes, we do compete against other schools. Have no fear! We have a really strong team here at Hinsdale South, and the schools we compete against have similar rankings to us, so we play at a level we know our team can handle.

• You learn about the legal field through this club.

Well, this is a no-brainer. You get to learn about the legal field through exposure to it via this club. 

• There is no prior experience required to join. 

If you’re totally new to the club, or law in general, no worries! You don’t need to have any prior Mock Trial experience in order to join. Mrs. Lencioni (the club sponsor) is a kind and helpful coach. The reason why I’m well-informed about Mock Trial is because of her. She will make sure you know the ins and outs of the club and your role, and make sure you’re ready to go.

If you are interested in joining Mock Trial, feel free to shoot Mrs. Lencioni an email at [email protected]. Or, come visit us at our next few meetings, which take place Wednesdays after school in Room 333. Hope to see you there!