The Barrister’s, the Young Lawyer’s Division of the Knoxville Bar Association, annually hosts the Regional High School Mock Trial Competition for Districts 2, 3, and 4* every year. The experiences garnered through high school mock trial programs have inspired many young competitors to pursue a legal career; unsurprisingly, several Barristers members are former mock trial competitors. High school budget cuts around the country continue to increase, diminishing available funding for civic engagement courses and extracurriculars. Mock Trial is an excellent way for high school students to develop a deeper understanding of the nation’s legal system and to experience the legal process firsthand.
The regional competition provides a venue for students to compete against one another. Each team's competitors will act as plaintiff and defense lawyers and witnesses as they make their cases to a panel of legal professionals and law students in front of a typically standing-room-only gallery. This year's case is a civil matter involving Kat McNable, who was thrown from his electric scooter when he encountered the sand spilling from Defendant’s beach-themed party wagon. The new problem, rules, and other information can be found online at https://www.tba.org/?pg=tennessee-high-school-mock-trial-0.
The 2023 regional competition is slated to occur at the Knoxville City County Building on Friday, February 24th (Round 1) and Saturday, February 25th (Rounds 2 - 4). The Regional Championship (Round 5) will be held February 26th in the Business Courtroom at LMU’s Duncan School of Law.
The specific times are as follows:
Friday, February 24 Round 1 5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 25 Round 2 8:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.; Round 3 10:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.; Round 4 1:45 p.m. – 4 :00 p.m.
Sunday, February 26 Round 5 1:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Dedicated volunteers, comprised of East Tennessee law school students, attorneys, and judges, serve as the bailiffs, scoring judges, and presiding judges over this wonderful annual competition. The winners of this regional competition will advance to the State-wide tournament in Nashville, held March 17-18, 2023. The regional competition is free for students to enter; their coaches need only fill out the rosters and coordinating forms and submit them to knoxhsmt@gmail.com.
Volunteer participation in this wonderful program is lower than it once was. As young lawyers, our goal is to do everything we can to spread the word about this unique, beneficial, and all-around fun opportunity for our East Tennessee high school students. If you are interested and volunteering, please sign up at https://memcentral.wufoo.com/forms/mdbyy3q1labt0z/.
To learn more about the Barristers Regional Mock Trial Competition, contact Isaac Westling and Bridget Pyman at knoxhsmt@gmail.com.
For more information about the Barristers, please get in touch with Barristers President Hon. Zack Walden at (423) 907-7503 or Marsha S. Watson, Executive Director of the Knoxville Bar Association, at (865) 522-6522.
*Districts include:
District 2: Anderson, Campbell, Claiborne, Cocke, Fentress, Grainger, Jefferson, Scott, Sevier and Union
District 3: Knox
District 4: Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Loudon, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Polk, Rhea and Roane