2023 Mock Trial Competition
Friday and Saturday, March 3-4, 2023
The State Bar of Montana is hosting the fourth annual Montana High School Mock Trial competition in Helena for 2023. Montana attorneys or teachers interested in organizing a Mock Trial team or who have any questions about the Mock Trial competition can email inquiries to mocktrial@montanabar.org.
Information about the problem for the 2023 competition will be posted here when it is available.
Registration
Preregister your team today by emailing mocktrial@montanabar.org, and we will contact you when official registration is open. Make sure your email includes:
- Name of School
- Number of teams you will register
- Name, email and phone number of team contact
Registration fee will be $200 per team. If a school has 3 teams, for example, the total registration fee is $600.
Reduced or waived fees
If your team needs assistance paying the registration fee, please contact us at mocktrial@montanabar.org.
Registration Deadline
The registration deadline is January 13, 2023. No teams may register after the final registration deadline.
About
The Montana High School Mock Trial Program was established in 2019 by the Trustees of the State Bar of Montana, and the first statewide competition was held at the Montana Capitol Building in March 2020.
Through participation in the Montana High School Mock Trial Competition, students from all over Montana have a hands-on opportunity to examine the legal process and current legal issues, engage with local attorneys and the judicial branch of government, and develop important critical thinking, presentation, public speaking, and teamwork skills.
Students play the roles of attorneys, witnesses, timekeepers, and courtroom artists (optional). Students prepare both sides of the case. A student may be an attorney for one side and a witness for the other, or an attorney for both sides, or a witness for both sides. Timekeepers keep the competition rounds on schedule. Courtroom artists provide a visual record of the proceedings.
Teachers help recruit team members, handle team logistics, assist with fundraising, and partner with attorney coaches to prepare students for the competition.
Attorneys, Judges, Paralegals and Law Students provide a lawyer's perspective on the case materials and work with the teams to learn trial practice skills and develop trial strategies. Legal professionals also volunteer as competition judges.