3 mock trial teams qualify for state tournament

Both teams from Camas High School and one from the Clark County Skills Center have qualified to compete in the state mock trial tournament in Olympia next month after taking the top spots in Clark County’s district competition this week.

They will be invited to compete in the state tournament March 18-20.

Camas’ teams placed first in their divisions, with Team 2 winning all six of its trials over the two-day tournament Wednesday and Thursday at the Clark County Courthouse.

The Clark County Skills Center Team 1 placed second in Division Two, winning four of its six trials. Hockinson High School also placed second in Division One with the same ranking and ballot count as the Skills Center. However, the Skills Center took third place overall based on its point total — 2,951 to Hockinson’s 2,871 points. Hockinson may be invited to the state tournament as an at-large team, depending on the results of other district tournaments, said Clark County Superior Court Judge Robert Lewis, who oversees the local program.

A total of eight teams from six schools presented “Ex-Con Oration,” a civil action case seeking damages after a prisoner’s conviction was overturned. The other participating schools included Columbia from White Salmon, Columbia River and Morton. The tournament included six rounds, with three two-hour trials per round.

Each trial was presided over by a volunteer and rated by three attorneys who played jurors and rendered a mock verdict. The jurors judged the students’ performances, rather than deciding whether the fictional plaintiff or defendant should win the trial.

The students played the role of an attorney or witness during the rounds. Student attorneys were required to perform the standard court process: pretrial motions, opening statements, questioning witnesses and closing arguments. Student witnesses also were rated on how believable their characters were and how convincing their testimony was.

Attorneys and the judge then gave the students feedback on how well they presented their fictitious case, introduced evidence and cited case law.

“The tournament participants were very prepared and professional,” Lewis said in an email. “It’s a great learning experience for everyone involved.”