News
Mock Trial Team Represents 4th Circuit at State Competition
By Andrew Dickson, Mock Trial Team Sponsor
Who knew Bolles had a Mock Trial Team? We didn't until last year, when the Jacksonville Bar Association started a local contest for Law Week. Our students got a taste of competition going up against Fletcher High School, an experienced team from an established mock trial program.
Last year, most of the Bolles students came from either my Public Speaking class or the Debate Club. This year they started with a core group of four, which doubled and tripled for the state competition in Orlando in March. By the end of their second annual JBA competition in April, twenty students had participated in some way.
The students supported each other seamlessly. Older and experienced students like Alex Odom-Tomchin '10 and Matthew Silverstein '10 actively mentored younger ones. Ajay Shroff '11, who had a witness role in March, became an award-winning attorney in April.
Most of these students also carry heavy academic loads with Honors courses. William Leeser '11, Joe Beacom '10, Spencer Joel '11, and Alora Clark '11 juggled a crew schedule. Scott Fligor '10 and “O-T” played lacrosse. Ansh Grover '10 and Craig Fligor '10 performed in the jazz and symphonic bands, and Kelsey Makeever '10 performed in the dance company. All gave up dozens of hours in preparation, and half of Spring Break for the state competition.
By the time the second JBA Mock Trial took place, we added to the ranks Cameron Smith '10, C.J. Brown '11, Adrianna Ray '11, Lily Whitehouse '12, Max Foster '09, Sarah Macklin '10, Azeem Rathore '12, and Rachael Abram '10.
As an English and drama teacher, I can attest that trial law is amongst the most complex set of skills to learn, involving argumentation, procedure, improvisation, and presentation technique, all in the heat of competition. These exceptional students adapted their minds, and schedules, to master these skills.
From Ken Tomchin, Legal Coach:
I had the pleasure of being The Bolles School's Legal Advisor for the 2009 Florida Law-Related Education Association's High School Mock Trial. This competition is a statewide contest in which each judicial circuit provides one team of eight students to participate in a tournament. The Bolles School's team represented Circuit 4 in the state competition held in Orlando March 26 -28 at the Orange County Courthouse. Approximately 100 teams entered at the district level, but the field narrowed to 18 at the time of the finals. This was only the second year Bolles fielded a team, so it was an honor for them to compete against 17 teams from across the state.
The Bolles students spent months reviewing the case and Florida Rules of Evidence, while formulating their arguments and examination questions. Each trial included an opening argument, direct and cross-examination of six witnesses, and a closing argument. The team argued both sides of the case, and played four rounds, playing the plaintiff part twice and defense's part twice. Each round lasted over two hours, for a total of nine hours of competition over three days during Spring Break.
This program is an invaluable tool for students who may wish to seek training in the legal field. My first experience in this type of competition did not occur until my first year in law school. These Bolles students were able to see realistic courtroom settings and procedures for a civil action years in advance of formal training. This type of program teaches analytical thought, appropriate courtroom demeanor, quick thinking, and public speaking skills. I was very proud of all of the Bolles participants. They did an excellent job.