Mock Trial Season Begins!

by Sam Levenson, SSLI '27

The Mock Trial team has begun to prepare for the upcoming trial season. Led by Global History and AP Research teacher Ms. Delaire, the team competes in trials against other schools in Nassau County. The attorneys met for the first time this afternoon to discuss their plans for the season and start working on materials for the trial.

The team is ready for an amazing season. (Law, Youth & Citizenship Program of the New York State Bar Association.)

The Mock Trial team is a high school club with a total of 13 students from all four grades. They compete against other schools through a competition sponsored by the New York State Bar Association, which drafts a fictional case that usually involves relevant legal issues. There are about 50 schools that compete against each other throughout the competition. The first matchup for Schechter is the defense team against Bethpage High School on February 5.

Senior and lawyer Carly Smith explained, "This year's case is about a superintendent who made a budget cut for a club in a school. My side, the plaintiff, believes that one of the students in the club whose budget got cut is responsible for making an Artificial Intelligence [AI] video to make the superintendent, who is running for a political office, look bad." Smith has been on the team since her freshman year and expressed, "I’m sad that this is my last season, but I’m excited to work hard and go out with a bang!"

Currently, the attorneys are working to draft questions for each witness. The attorneys are also crafting opening and closing statements to present at the trial. Ms. Delaire explained that Mock Trial is a “challenging and intellectually stimulating activity, and it takes a few years to truly get the hang of it.” However, the most skilled attorneys started when they were freshmen, so prospective students shouldn’t be scared away by a lack of experience. Ms. Delaire stated, "The seniors have a lot to teach the younger teammates, and so I encourage all of the younger students to think about joining in the future.” 

Another lawyer, senior Elisha Herbst, stated, "I've learned a lot since joining the Mock Trial team in ninth grade, and I'm excited to see how the trials go this year." Herbst is "excited to work with Ellie and Carly this year for the plaintiff. It's a fun case, and I'm hopeful we will do well during the trials." 

As they continue to work towards their competition at the Nassau County Supreme Court, the Mock Trial team works with determination and love for what they do. By the end, the students will have gone through a tough but fun journey that Ms. Delaire emphasizes is “very gratifying.” Ms. Delaire concluded, “I’m really interested to see what our seniors and juniors have up their sleeves this year, as they’ve had a few years to prepare, and we’ve been really successful in recent years.” 

Sam Levenson is a writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since October 2023. Sam is currently a sophomore at Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: slevenson27@schechterli.org