REGISTRATION FOR THE 15TH ANNUAL
HIGH SCHOOL MOCK TRIAL INVITATIONALS!!!
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!!!
15th Annual Event - January 4-5, 2025
It gives us great pleasure to announce the 15th Annual University of Cincinnati High School Mock Trial Invitationals. We will be hosting two one day tournaments, in-person, on Saturday, January 4, 2025 and Sunday, January 5, 2025. There will be a cap of 24 teams on each date.
As in the past, each of this year’s tournaments will consist of two rounds, one each in the morning and the afternoon. The tournaments will be held at the University of Cincinnati's Arts & Sciences Hall (formerly McMicken Hall). The rounds will be scored by the UC Mock Trial coaching staff and current undergraduate mock trial students, all of whom are very well versed in the rules of evidence and have experience both competing in and judging mock trial competitions. The case materials used in this Invitational have been developed by the Ohio Center for Law Related Education OCLRE and its sponsors, and provided for use with their permission. Schedule:
Participating Teams: Each of the tournaments is open to the first 24 teams who wish to register on each date, on a first come first serve basis. Once all spots for a given date are filled, teams will be offered spots on the alternate date or a spot on the waiting list for the already filled date. In the event that teams drop out of an already filled date, those teams on the waiting list will be offered a spot in the order that they signed up. Each school is permitted to bring up to 2 teams. If space permits, we will entertain the idea of allowing one school to bring more than 2 competing teams. While a school is permitted to have one or more of its teams compete on separate dates, the same team is not permitted to compete on both dates. Scoring: Each round will be judged by a minimum of two persons, a combination of UC Mock Trial staff and team members, all of which are well versed in mock trial and the rules of evidence. Only staff and advanced members with several years of experience will act as the presiding judge. Two judges will be scoring. Just like in the district competitions, the judges will not know which schools they are judging. In addition, no staff or member will judge a team from a school for which they have competed or coached. Scoring will be done using the traditional high school mock trial scoring sheets. At the end of each round, the score sheets will be brought to the scoring room and the scores counted. Unlike the district competitions, the judges are not required to agree on a winner. Their scores will be counted independently, and it is possible to split judges in a round, or even tie on a ballot. At the end of the tournament, each team will have a record out of 4, be it 4-0, 3-1, 2-2, 1-3, 0-4, and may include ties (i.e. 1-2-1). This is done so that a winner of the tournament can be determined with more certainty. At the end of the tournament, the team with the best record will be declared the winner. In the event of a tie for first place, the tiebreaker will be number of total points scored by a team, and secondly, if necessary, by point differential (i.e. how many total points a team beat its opponents by). These rules are how most college mock trial tournaments decide a winner. Unlike the district competitions, we are not looking for several teams to advance on, but to find one overall champion. This method of scoring better allows for that purpose. Pairing of Rounds: The first round will be paired randomly by myself and will be announced during the opening ceremonies. The second round will be power paired. That is, the teams will be ranked by their record so that 2-0 teams will face each other and 0-2 teams will face each other, etc. If there is more than one team on a side with the same record, the tiebreakers discussed above will be utilized to determine order. This also allows us to better determine the tournament winner. Each team will get to present each side of the case once, and no team will face the same team twice, or a team from their same school, as that would not advance the purposes of the tournament. Food and Parking: A minimum of an hour has been allotted for lunch. Lunch will be provided to all students and coaches. There is ample parking around campus, including garages and meters. However, most meters are running on Saturdays and must be fed every few hours. As such, it is suggested that all guests park in one of the garages near the law school. A map of the campus will be provided for assistance with parking. In the event that a school arrives by bus, please indicate that on the registration form so that we may secure a location for it to be parked. Awards: At the end of the tournament, an awards ceremony will be held where individual best attorney and witness awards will be handed out for each trial, instead of during the trial. In addition, the Giant Gavel will be presented to the overall winner of each tournament. Scores will be known only by the tournament host until the awards ceremony. After the conclusion of the tournament, each team will receive a copy of their score sheets for review via email. Audiences: The competition rooms have very limited seating for coaches, parents and friends to watch the trials. Space cannot be guaranteed for anyone outside of the student competitors and a few coaches. Registration Fees: There will be a fee of $200.00 per team (not per school) for this year’s tournaments. All registration checks must be received before November 1, 2024. For this fee, we will be providing lunch to all student competitors and their coaches, as well as awards at the conclusion of the tournament. In addition, there are costs associated with the use of the buildings and security to monitor the event. Registration checks should be drafted and mailed according to the instructions listed on the registration form. It is imperative that we be informed as soon as possible if there is any need to cancel or to bring fewer teams. December 1, 2024 will be the last day to drop a team and get a refund of the registration fee. After that date, there will be no refunds of registration fees. All registration fees must be made payable by check to the "University of Cincinnati Mock Trial Association" and sent to: Joshua J. Leckrone, Esq. Richardson Law Group, PLLC 334 Beechwood Road, Suite 502 Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky 41017 Purpose: As with our previous tournaments, we are confident that this opportunity will present the participating students with a valuable educational experience and some helpful guidance in advance of the district competitions. I have been told over the years that most high school teams welcome the chance to scrimmage and improve their skills prior to the district competitions. This will be an excellent chance for the students to hone their skills in front of skilled mock trial coaches and students, and to be recognized for their accomplishments. Further, we sincerely hope that this program will encourage high school students to continue their mock trial education at the collegiate level. I know that many of our best students have come from high school mock trial programs. This is a great chance for them to give back. From my experience as a mock trial competitor at the high school and collegiate level, as well as a coach, I know that there exists no better educational activity which promotes the study and practice of law among both high school and college students. If you are interested in registering one or more teams, or have any further questions about the event, please contact me at [email protected]. |
Past Winners2024
Day One - Danville Day Two - Springfield 2023 Day One - Centerville Day Two - St. Xavier 2020 Day One - Danville Day Two - Springfield 2019 Day One - Indian Hill Day Two - Springfield 2018 Day One - Seven Hills Day Two - Springfield 2017 Day One - Indian Hill Day Two - Springfield 2016 Day One - Indian Hill Day Two - Reading 2015 Day One - Indian Hill Day Two - Springfield 2014 Day One - Indian Hill Day Two - Oak Hills 2013 Day One - Nordonia Day Two - Oak Hills 2012 Day One - Summit Country Day Two - Reading 2011 - Reading 2010 - Oak Hills 2009 - Oak Hills 2025 ParticipantsDay One - Coming Soon!
Day Two - Coming Soon! |
