The American Mock Trial Association
Recent News & Events
March 31st, 2009
Michigan Mock Trial will be hosting its second public runthrough in the Pond Room of the Michigan Union this Saturday April 4th at 5PM. The event will begin with a Meet & Greet and then the mock trial presentation. Students, donors, law firms, high school mock trialers, and Michigan staff have all been invited. Anyone else who is interested is welcome to come. The team would like to thank all of you for your support and your generous donations!
March 15th, 2009
Michigan Mock Trial's teams 524 and 525 place in the top six teams at Regionals, taking 3rd and 5th place, respectively and gaining bids to Nationals in Des Moines, Iowa.
March 10th, 2009
Michigan Mock Trial talks about their success at Regionals on WOLV-TV's Newsfeed.
View all Michigan Mock Trial news.
What is Mock Trial?
Mock Trial is a competitive intercollegiate extracurricular activity where a team performs the roles of attorneys and witnesses in simulated court cases. In competition, one university's plaintiff competes against another university's defense, and vice versa. Mock Trial helps to develop communication, public speaking and critical thinking skills. Members of a mock trial team also learn real courtroom procedure and become experts in the Federal Rules of Evidence. During a round, each side presents an opening statement, three witnesses, and a closing argument during the three hour trial. We are judged by attorneys and judges from the local area who volunteer their time.
The fall is dedicated primarily to becoming familiar with the case material and witnesses, reviewing mock trial etiquette and participating in invitational tournaments around the nation. In February, Regional Tournaments are held with roughly twenty teams per tournament competing for bids to the National Championship Tournament hosted by the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA).
A total of sixty-four teams from around the country compete at the National Championship Tournament in April. The 48 teams are divided into two fields of 24 teams. Each team competes in four power-matched rounds. The top team in each field competes in the final round to determine the National Champion.
Michigan Mock Trial
Michigan Mock Trial is a 100% student run organization that competes as a part of the American Mock Trial Association. Members work together to improve public speaking, communication, critical thinking, and logical reasoning skills. Our team finished 5th place in the nation in the 2007-2008 season. According to the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA), the University of Michigan will enter 2008 as the 7th ranked team in the country and as the highest ranked student organization in the country. For a more extensive description of Michigan's success over the years click here (PDF 73K).
Michigan Mock Trial, however, is not exclusively a competition organization. We are also a social organization. During the year we plan numerous social activities including: bowling movie nights, team dinners, theme parties, and much more. Members on the team develop close friendships that last even after they graduate.