Kansas High Schools to Participate in Mock Trial Competition

(March 25, 2005) Topeka, KS—Each year the Kansas Bar Association (KBA) Young Lawyers’ Section offers a statewide mock trial competition to high school students. Twenty-two teams competed in the Regional Tournaments on Saturday, March 5, in Olathe and Wichita. The following six schools qualified for the State Competition, which will take place April 1-2 at the Sedgwick County Courthouse in Wichita: Blue Valley, Blue Valley North, and Shawnee Mission East high schools, Kansas City, and Wichita South, Kapaun Mount Carmel, and the Independent High School, Wichita.

The teams will be competing for the chance to participate in the national tournament in Charlotte, N.C., on May 5-7.

The Mock Trial program is a law-related education program designed to inform students about how the legal system and lawyers operate through a simulated courtroom experience. The tournaments involve at least two trials, with each team participating in prosecuting and defending the same case. A volunteer panel of licensed attorneys administer each case and judge each round of the competition.

The Young Lawyers’ Section of the KBA is the primary sponsor for the competition. They provide a grant to the state champion in order to participate in the national mock trial competition and are responsible for obtaining volunteer lawyers to judge the events.

The Mock Trial competitions provide a worthwhile learning experience for high school students to expose them to an understanding of the law, legal issues, and the judicial process.

“In past years, I have found that many students benefit from this project, which can be exciting and a genuine learning process,” said Amy Fellows, Wichita, Mock Trial coordinator.

For more information about the Mock Trial competition, please contact Janessa Akin at the Kansas Bar Association, (785) 234-5696.

Kansas Bar Association
1200 SW Harrison St.
PO Box 1037
Topeka, KS 66601-1037
Phone: 785-234-5696

About the Kansas Bar Association
The Kansas Bar Association, located in Topeka, Kans., was founded in 1882 as a voluntary association for dedicated legal professionals and has approximately 6,200 members, including lawyers, judges, law students, and legal assistants. The KBA is dedicated to advancing the professionalism and legal skills of lawyers, promoting the interests of the legal profession, providing services to its members, advocating positions on law-related issues, encouraging public understanding of the law, and promoting the effective administration of our system of justice.

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