Getting started

If your school doesn’t already have a team, here’s what you'll need:
(1) Team Coach: This person may be a teacher, administrator, parent, or other adult affiliated with the school and willing to take on the following responsibilities:
     a) Help recruit students, which may necessitate try-outs,
     b) Arrange and oversee training/practice sessions,
     c) Coordinate transportation to and from competitions and ensure your team arrives at the courthouse on time,
     d) Handle administrative duties of the competition (i.e. completing and sending registration form and fee).

(2) Attorney Coach: While this person is not required, MSBA and CLREP highly encourage the involvement of an attorney coach. The attorney guides the students on trial procedure, courtroom decorum, and rules of evidence. The attorney also assists students in devising their strategy for both plaintiff/ prosecution and defense roles during competitions. It is not the job of the attorney to instruct students; but, rather, to serve as a guide for students by answering questions, explaining the rationale of court procedures, and helping students to highlight key questions/issues raised by the case.

(3) Eight (8) to twelve (12) students: You will need a minimum of 8 and a maximum of 12 students; you may also have 2 alternates for local competitions. An absolute minimum of six students must attend each competition.

(4) Completed Registration Form: See Mock Trial Home page for mail-in and online applications.

(5) $250 Registration Fee ($325 if late): You may send a check made payable to PDT or pay via credit card with PayPal

(6) Schedule of Events
Although the schedule for each Mock Trial year changes based on judicial and school calendars, you can use the general guidelines at right.

September-October: Use this time to advertise to, and recruit, students for your team. You should also identify an attorney and teacher who would be willing to coach your team. These two (or more) people will work with the team through the duration of the practice and competition season, generally from December to March. If your team advances beyond the local competitions, this will extend through April.

Early November: Registrations and payments are due to CLREP. The registration deadline is always the first Friday in November. You may download a mail-in registration form or submit an online registration. You may pay by check or with a credit card through PayPal. Each team must pay its own registration fee. (In the instance where a school registers two teams, there is a $100 discount for the second team; the first team pays $300, the second team pays $200.) Schools/ teams are posted on the MYLaw website—this is confirmation that your registration and check have been received and that your team is “officially” registered.

Mid-November: Casebooks are sent to schools that have registered and paid by the registration deadline. Schools that register after the deadline (with the express permission of their local coordinator) will receive their books as CLREP has time to send them out.

Mid-December: Teams will receive their local competition schedule. Local competitions schedules are created by your local coordinator—NOT by CLREP.

Late January – March: Local competitions are scheduled, generally between the hours of 4-6pm. Some competitions take place in schools but most are held in local courthouses.

April: Regional, semi-final and final competitions take place. The State Championship is generally scheduled for mid-April, but is always determined by the judicial calendar.