Grand Blanc mock trial team seeks verdict of best in state

The cases aren’t real but a group of Grand Blanc students is putting their legal minds tothe ultimate test. Grand Blanc High school’s mock trial team will be in a state tournament Saturday, March 29, competing against other nine other schools in mock trials where the teams represent either the prosecuting or defense teams, and serve as attorneys and witnesses.

David Roth, a team coach and law clerk in the city of Flint attorney’s office, said the eight students on the Grand Blanc team have a lot of potential in terms of a future in the legal profession.

“They’ve got really good at learning the rules and applying them to the case so they can engage in arguments in front of real lawyers and judges,” said Roth.

As part of the competition, all high school mock trial teams are given the same case – this year a criminal case – and the teams must familiarize themselves with the case materials.
Coach Michael Paris said the students are “amazingly dedicated” and have been putting in a lot of time since November learning the content – which is over 100 pages.

“They really know the case materials very well,” he said.

The eight students that make up the team are seniors Kyle Hammond, Caitlyn Buell, Dillyn Foy, Luke Mantos and Jewel Hohman, and sophomores Arshi Baig, Jonathan Kocks and Dalia Karrar.

“We’ve definitely been working towards this, but it came as a huge surprise” said Buell about the success of the team.

Buell had previously played the role of witness when she joined the mock trial team her freshman and sophomore years. This year she has two roles, defense lawyer and prosecution witness.

Buell said she doesn’t plan to go into the legal field, but said she appreciates the skills she’s learned while on the team – citing public speaking, acting, more understanding of the legal system and the intellectual side of forming arguments and thinking on her feet – opportunities, she said that she doesn’t always get in the classroom or other after-school activities.

Roth said the students are intelligent and hardworking – fitting time to study in among their other school and after-school activities.

“I’m really impressed by the dedication that high school kids can have for something like this. The amount of time and how well they can grasp difficult concepts,” Roth said.

The team will next compete in the state tournament on March 29, in Lansing at the Veteran Memorial Courthouse. Grand Blanc is the only Genesee County team competing in the state tournament.

By Dana DeFever | ddefever@mlive.com

For article with photos–http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2014/03/grand_blanc_high_schools_mock.html#comments

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