DLA Weblog

D's Mock Trial Society at National Tourney

St. Petersburg, FL - The Dartmouth Mock Trial Society's Team Green competed in the American Mock Trial Association's National Intercollegiate Mock Trial Tournament in St. Petersburg, Florida on March 11-13th. The team qualified for the St. Petersburg national tournament after placing 4th overall in the Northeast Regional Mock Trial Tournament at Manchester Community College in January. Team Green finished the national tournament with an overall record of 5 wins and 3 losses against extremely talented competition, earning the team a fifth place trophy. This outstanding performance marks the first time since 2001 that a Dartmouth team has placed in the top ten at a national tournament.

The three-day tournament hosted forty-eight teams from the nation's most competitive programs, including George Washington, Virginia, and Yale, all of which competed in four trials. In ranking among the top five teams in its division, Dartmouth once again demonstrated the strength and high caliber of its mock trial program. Team Green's record demonstrated the outstanding future potential for Dartmouth's mock trial, particularly given that more than half of the team's members were freshmen.

More information about the Dartmouth Mock Trial Society at: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~mtrial/

Mock Trial Ends Regional in Top Five

This just in:
Worcester, MA - Two teams representing the Dartmouth Mock Trial Society competed in the New England Mock Trial Tournament at Clark College on February 25-27th, with both finishing in the top five out of thirty teams at the tournament. Team Silver placed second overall with a record of 7 wins and 1 loss, while Team Gold placed fifth with a record of 5 wins and 3 losses. These performances qualified the teams to compete in one of the American Mock Trial Association's national tournaments, in Des Moines, IA and Richmond, KY, respectively.

Several of New England's top mock trial programs competed at the tournament, including teams from Boston College, Boston University, and Harvard University. This marks the second consecutive year that the Dartmouth Mock Trial Society has qualified three of its four regional teams to compete in the national tournaments.

In mock trial competitions participants prepare the roles of attorneys and witnesses based upon a nationwide fact pattern provided each year by a national collegiate body, the American Mock Trial Association. Students then try their cases against teams from other colleges and universities by competing in regional and national-level tournaments. Rounds are judged by practicing attorneys or judges, and competitors are scored based upon the professionalism and effectiveness of the cases they present. The top teams from each tournament are given bids to the National Intercollegiate Tournament in either Florida or Kentucky and the National Championship Tournament in Des Moines. Competitions consist of four rounds with two judges each, for a total of eight potential "ballots" to win each tournament.

Dartmouth Mock Trial Society and its competition teams are student-led and student-directed.

Dartmouth Mock Trial Society is advised by Profs. Walter Sinnott-Armstrong as well as Robert Buckley and John Crocker. It receives financial support of the Committee on Student Organizations and the Student Activities Office.

More info at its website: www.dartmouth.edu/~mtrial

Doug Simpson '70
DLA "Webster"