Court is now in session - Ohio Northern University held the first day of their 10th annual Mock Trial Tournament on Saturday.
“Each team is given a side, whether they’re prosecution or defense, and then they build a case trying to support that side, using the evidence that was provided to them,” said Samantha Howe, Director of the ONU Mock Trial team.
More than 150 students from 12 colleges were given the opportunity to show their knowledge and presentation of a specific case selected by the American Mock Trial Association.
“Just for students in general it’s really useful to practice public speaking skills, try to think about how they would appear if they were this person, in this person’s shoes,” Howe said.
The mock tournaments are especially beneficial to students planning to go to law school.
“Mock trial we do both sides of a case, so being able to see a case from two different sides or many different angles is very helpful in law school,” Lisa Bradley, ONU Mock Trial coach and 3rd year law student, said.
Dakotah Gray, a second year student at ONU, is one participant who says she definitely thinks it’s helpful for future law students.
“Oh most definitely. I actually help out with trials here at the law school, and sometimes I’ll sit back and think ‘I bet that person actually did mock trial’ because you can tell they’re a little bit more steady on their feet,” Gray said.
