News
Bolles Competes in Mock Trial
A team of Bolles upper school students participated in the Law Day High School Mock Trial Competition hosted by the Jacksonville Bar Association and Florida Coastal School of Law on April 19 at the Duval County Courthouse. The competition also included teams from Sandalwood and Fletcher.
The participating Bolles students were Khalil Farah '08, Craig Fligor '10, Scott Fligor '10, Daniel Mahoney '11, Alex Odom-Tomchin '10, Faheem Rathore '08, Matthew Silverstein '10, and Lizzy Young '11. Andrew Dickson served as the faculty sponsor, forming the group from students in the Debate Club, which he also sponsors, and his public speaking classes. The Bolles team also received support and coaching from Lisa Odom and Ken Tomchin of Tomchin and Odom, P.A.
Bolles' defense team faced Fletcher in the semi-finals. Fletcher has an established mock trial program, recently placing fourth in a state-level competition. Individually, Farah won an award for best advocate for the prosecution against Sandalwood.
“They (Fletcher) were extremely polished, but we held our own in terms of content,” Dickson noted. “Everyone involved views it as more of an exercise than a competition, until it becomes better established next year.”
The key organizer of the event was Fraz Ahmed of Kubicki and Draper, with help from current students and recent graduates of Florida Coastal School of Law, including Bolles alumni Lindsay Tygart '98 and Tyler Gates '02. Ahmed plans to establish a high school mock trial league for The Fourth Judicial Circuit, which comprises Clay, Duval and Nassau Counties.
Dickson plans to continue supporting Bolles students interested in participating in mock trials. “Our kids are eager to compete, and have set a goal to place at the state level in a couple of years.”