Bar News - April 7, 2006
Mock Trial Verdict: Education is the Big Winner
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Souhegan High School prosecution team at the Hillsborough County Superior Court South in Nashua on March 18
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Thirty-seven teams from 32 schools competed in this year’s Mock Trial competition at courthouses in Nashua (hosting the high school competitions on successive Saturdays), Brentwood, Plymouth and Dover. The final was held April 1 (after this issue went to press) at the Hillsborough County Superior Court - North in Manchester. See the Mock Trial page for the results.
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Prospect Mountain High School prosecution team at the Hillsborough County Superior Court South on March 18
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Vying in the finals were last year’s high school champion Souhegan (which entered two teams), Milford, Bishop Guertin and Kingswood Regional. Middle school finalists were Alton, McKelvie, Milford and South Meadow.
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South Meadow Middle School defense team at the Hillsborough County Superior Court South in Nashua on March 18
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Law Related Education Supported by Bar Foundation
Mock Trial is conducted by the Law-Related Education program of the New Hampshire Bar Association, and supported with funding from the New Hampshire Bar Foundation’s IOLTA program. New Hampshire is one of only a few states in the country where the Mock Trial competition is held in actual courthouses, greatly enhancing the experience for the participants. Dozens of members of the Bar, including judges and lawyers volunteer as presiding and scoring judges or as coaches for teams. (See next issue for list of volunteers.)
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Middle School Mock Trial at Plymouth District Court on March 10. Bar members (clockwise from left): Jeffrey S. Cahill, Paul V. Fitzgerald, Christopher J. Seufert, Judge Gerald J. Boyle, Judge Arthur E. Robbins (Ret.), and David L. Kent
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Students, who have been preparing their cases for months, operate as teams to research the law, develop evidence, and present testimony and arguments on both sides of the same case. Students play all of the roles in the courtroom except for the presiding judge and the jury. This year’s case, State v. Taylor, finds a police officer charged with attempted murder and assault. The case raises issues of physical force in law enforcement, self-defense, and the admissibility of character evidence. The high school champion earns a berth in the National Mock Trial Competition to be held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on May 11-14.
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Hillsborough County Sheriffs' Deputies at the Hillsborough County Superior Court South in Nashua provided friendly and efficient service for the students, family and volunteers at the mock trial event in Nashua on March 11
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