Mock Trial Team
Join the Mock Trial Team
Coached by a team of successful attorneys, our goal is to prepare students for future legal careers in their chosen field while building a collaborative and supportive team culture. We are committed to provide a rewarding, competitive, team-oriented environment for our students to learn and excel.
American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) Competitor
Monmouth’s mock trial program competes nationally as a group of six to eight students in both AMTA sanctioned tournaments and invitationals throughout the year. Teams receive a civil or criminal trial problem at the beginning of the year and work collectively to develop trial strategies. We build strong oral advocacy skills, as well as litigation skills critical for practical success in law school and beyond. Our students are introduced to trial procedure, the law of evidence, and proper courtroom appearance and professionalism.
About Mock Trial and Our Team
What is Mock Trial?
Mock trial is a simulated courtroom competition that utilizes legal analysis, critical thinking, and public speaking. At the beginning of the year, AMTA releases the legal question packet that is revised in December in preparation for the spring tournament season. Invitationals and official tournaments are structured in rounds: teams alternate between prosecution/plaintiff and defense roles, present witness examinations, and opening/closing arguments.
What Are the Roles in Mock Trial?
Each prosecution and defense team includes three attorneys and three witnesses. The attorneys divide responsibilities of presenting case facts along with witness examinations while the witnesses create personalized characters aligned with the AMTA packet’s details. Both roles require intensive research, practice, and creativity to create effective teams.
What is the Time Requirement?
Our team meets once a week as a full group with coaches, witnesses, and attorneys for two hours. The plaintiff/prosecution and defense each hold respective practices to align case theory and develop strategies. As the semester progresses with multiple invitationals or AMTA sanctioned tournaments to prepare for, additional training practices are regularly scheduled. Specific time is varied at the discretion of the team as a whole along with each side but usually consists of 10+ hours of preparation.
Contact Us
To receive tryout materials and the practice calendar, or to make any other general inquiries, please contact our faculty advisor:
Scott Hofer, Ph.D.
Mock Trial Faculty Advisor