Students working toward a possible future degree in law get acquainted with the courtroom early as part of a Mock Trial Team.
On Saturday, January 24, The University of Louisiana at Monroe hosts the second Warhawk Mock Trial Jamboree, a two-round tournament featuring teams from ULM, Millsaps College, Louisiana State University and Tulane University.
Local attorneys serve as the judges as the teams, comprised of three lawyers and three witness, defend or prosecute a test case developed by the American Mock Trial Association. The fictional case is a civil trial in which an eleven year-old has shot another eleven year-old. Team members acting as witnesses assume the character of one of twelve potential witnesses called for the trial, and students acting as lawyers work to try the case as if it's in a live courtroom.
The ULM mock trial team features three individuals who have won awards in national competitions: Dakota Hawkins and Jordan Jones earned Best Witness awards, and Adam Nettles earned a Best Attorney award.
This jamboree will serve as the last warmup before the team travels to the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) Regional Championship in Dallas, Texas.
The American Mock Trial Association was founded in 1985 and is the governing body for intercollegiate mock trial competition. AMTA sponsors regional and national-level competitions, as well as providing interesting and complex case materials for academic use.
Presently, the AMTA hosts 24 regional tournaments, eight opening round championship tournaments and a national championship tournament each season. Approximately 600 teams from over 350 universities and colleges will compete in these tournaments.
