In mid-February seven members of the Pre-Law Society at WPI took part in the Mock Trial Competition hosted by Clark University. The participants included Joy Howk, Jennx Yambert, Harish Chawla, Jen Reese, Amanda Piper, Jim Behmke, and Jeff Ouellette. Professor Kent Rissmiller coached the team in trial strategy and the rules of law. This was the first time WPI students participated in the Mock Trial Competition. Before Christmas break the team received a case description from the American Mock Trial Association, complete with witness affidavits and the rules of the trial. After thoroughly examining the claims of the lawsuit, the participants began to build both the prosecution and defense cases. The team was responsible for providing prosecution and defense attorneys as well as witnesses. In most cases, the team members were responsible for playing more than one role. In the weeks before the competition, the attorneys were busy preparing direct and cross examinations, coaching the witnesses, and preparing opening and closing statements. The witnesses were busy learning their roles inside and out and preparing to answer difficult questions under cross examination.
The formal competition spanned a whole weekend. The colleges represented at the competition included Boston University, Boston College, Brown University, St. Johns University, Amherst College, Franklin Pierce College, and Clark University. Area attorneys played the role of judges in each trial, ruling on objections and admissible evidence. There were four rounds in the competition. Each team was placed in the role of the prosecution during two trials and the role of defense during the other two trials. The team members learned to think on their feet during the competition. They felt that the experiences they gained from the mock trials were invaluable. It surely was a learning, as well as an enjoyable experience. Many of the members plan to participate in the competition next year. If you are interested in becoming involved in the Pre-Law Society or being a part of the Mock Trial team next year, please contact Joyelle Howk, president of the Pre-Law Society at joyelle@wpi.edu.