Mock Trial
Welcome to Mock Trial
Welcome to Michigan Mock Trial
2023-2024 Rules and Case Information
The 2023-2024 Mock Trial season is here!
MCCE is pleased to present revised Mock Trial Rules (including rules of evidence), Trial Tips and Procedures, and the 2023-2024 Case.
Two important changes you will see are the inclusion of the Michigan Supreme Court Rules for Professionalism & Civility incorporated into various rubrics along with two scores for witnesses. MCCE is also moving toward an online balloting system called Tabroom. More to come!
2023-2024 Materials:
2023-2024 Mock Trial Case – MCCE Mock Trial Case 2023-2024 Tomte v Earhart Case File Jan 17, 2024
Case Q&A: Case Q&A is closed. All questions have been recorded and answers are here 2023-24 Case Questions Responses.
2024-2024 Mock Trial Rules & Procedures – Michigan Mock Trial Rules and Procedures 2023-2024
Stay tuned for the revised Trial Tips and Tutorials on MCCE’s Youtube Page
Team Registration is Open! Please use this link to register your teams ! Team membership will be due in January along with Courtroom Artist and Journalist information
Volunteers – registration is open!! We are using a new school and volunteer system called Tabroom.com Please register here. Directions are provided here as well as on the Tabroom site to create your account and sign up!
What is Mock Trial? What are the Benefits of Mock Trial?
Mock Trial is an amazing extra-curricular, co-curricular, and curricular program. Mock Trial advances knowledge and skills incorporating trial procedure, justice, rule of law, and more while encouraging teamwork, collaboration, and public speaking skills.
Watch students transform themselves into witnesses and attorneys and enact case facts in front of attorneys and judges in real life (or virtually real life) courtrooms.
MCCE is also committed to expanding access to the law and justice. Our new companion programs encourage the storytelling necessary to tell the human experience inside the courtroom. Courtroom Artists illustrate the stories and Courtroom Journalists report on the information for the whole world to see, understand, and appreciate. Moreover, MCCE is dedicated to providing accessibility to current and future members of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities and their interpreters. ASL interpreters who are seeking ‘hands up’ time in courtrooms may use the high school mock trial series to approximate the real life of the courtroom while earning additional training hours for their certificate credentials.
Middle school and elementary programs coming soon! MCCE is seeking sponsors who share this commitment to help expand to reach each and every school in Michigan. Message us if you want to help amplify the benefits of this program.
Want to start a team? Wonderful – we are here to help. Please start with this helpful FAQ about getting started in Michigan.
To learn more about the benefits of Mock Trial – please click here.
Welcome! School Information
Welcome schools!
The Basics. In every Michigan Mock Trial event, there are three witnesses and three attorneys. Teams may consist of 6-12 students. Schools are permitted up to three (3) teams per regional. MCCE tries to alternate between civil and criminal cases each year, choosing topics of contemporary interest.
Regional Information.MCCE currently hosts 6 regional events. All schools across the entire state are encouraged to participate. MCCE is actively seeking Courthouses to house additional regional events throughout Michigan including Northern Michigan.
Registration runs from 7:35-8:15 am each morning with an awards ceremony approximately from 4:30-5:00p.m. In the school orientation materials below, you will find a more detailed schedule.
State Finals Information. Depending on courtroom facilities, 10 – 12 teams will advance to state finals. All qualifying schools will compete in two preliminary trials. The top four teams advance to semi-finals. Two teams advance to the championship round. The school that wins that trial, has the opportunity to represent #TeamMichigan at the National High School Mock Trial Championship. The host site does change each year. #TeamMichigan will have the opportunity to compete in Wilmington, Delaware, May 2-5, 2024.
At every regional and state event, Courtroom Artists and Courtroom Journalists also have the opportunity to showcase their talents. These state champions will also have the opportunity to represent #TeamMichigan at the National Championship.
MCCE delights in being able to improve access to justice for the greater legal community. ASL Interpreters needing additional training or hands up time may also coordinate with their agencies to use the Michigan Mock Trial Courtrooms to increase their training.
2022-2023 School Orientation Materials may be found here with additional information for the Regional events. Updated 2023-2024 information will be found here October 19 and 20, 2023.
Volunteer Information!
Thank you in advance for contributing to the development of young legal minds!
The new volunteer and school registration system can be found here (http://mimocktrial.tabroom.com).
Materials to walk through your account set up may be found here.
Please see these two documents for volunteer information. Those volunteering to assist with hospitality or logistics will receive separate, on-site communications. Notes: These are Google Docs so that we may update information as needed and all volunteers will receive a folder with all the materials printed. Judges, please bring an electronic device if possible for ballot entry. We will have volunteers and extra devices available on site! Thank you so much!
Check here for updates for the 2023-2024 season. If you would like to review materials from 2022-2023, please see this Judge Resource Packet and Court Officer Resource Packet.
Mock Trial Event Dates
Updated Tentative Dates for Mock Trial and the Artistry and Reporting Companion Programs. All competitions are held on Saturdays. February 11the is dedicated to be virtual and the other events are in person. One weekend is dedicated Deep appreciation to the Oakland County Bar Foundation and the Macomb County Bar Foundation for their enduring support!
- October 19, 2023 – 4:00 p.m. Soft release of rules and a case overview
- October 20, 2023 – Case Posted MCCE Mock Trial Case 2023-2024 Tomte v Earhart
- Case Q&A: When you have questions about the case, please complete this form. Questions will be posted publicly for all to read and answers will also be posted upon review of the Committee for all to read. Q&As will be received through December 1 unless otherwise updated.
- October 20, 2023 – Rules Posted MCCE Mock Trial Rules and Procedures 2023_24
- November 1, 2023 – Registration Open – Schools and teams may register here!
- November 2023 – Case Q&A Accepted. Errata issued soon afterwards.
- November 2023 – Mock Trial Tips and Video Tutorials (MCCE’s Youtube page) Posted
- December 5, 2023 – Community Mock Trial Clinic – Lansing at the Hall of Justice (9am-2:30pm)
- December 7, 2023 – Community Mock Trial Clinic – Grand Rapids – Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum (9:30am-2:30pm)
- January 15, 2024 – Registrations Due
- January 29, 2024 – Team Membership Forms Due
- January 29, 2024 – Courtroom Artists and Journalist Information Due
- Regional Dates!
- February 17, 2024 – Wayne and Washtenaw hosted in Wayne
- February 22, 2024 – Northern Michigan Lower Peninsula, Suttons Bay
- February 24, 2024 – Oakland County
- March 2, 2024 – Macomb County. Thank you to the Macomb County Bar Foundation
- March 2, 2024 – Monroe County
- March 9, 2024 – Kent County
- March 9, 2023 – Upper Peninsula – Marquette County
- Virtual Student Reception
- March 22, 2024 – Evening Reception and Gala hosted by the Litigation Section
- March 23, 2024 – MCCE’s Mock Trial State Championship and Showcase – Veterans Memorial Courthouse
- May 2-4, 2024 – National High School Mock Trial Championship – Wilmington, Delaware
Observer Information
Thank you for supporting Mock Trial participants. Your role as a supporter means so much to the students. To ensure all observers know and adhere to the professionalism standards of the activity, all observers much wear a nametag and sign the code of conduct.
This new process will help facilitate and streamline the observer check in process the day of the mock trial event. all observers the morning of the event. We are excited to have your involvement.
The school and observer code of conduct is linked here. Observers, please pay careful attention to page three. That is the observer code of conduct.
Who should fill out this form? Anyone who is not a team participant, official teacher of record, or listed as a community coach should complete this form. Any observers from parents/guardians, community leaders, friends, or other interested persons who wish to observe a trial should complete the form.
Who does not need to complete the form? If you are officially listed as a community coach at registration, you do note need to complete the form. Your name tags will be available with your school check in materials.
What do I do the morning of the event? Simply check in at the registered observer location to receive your name tag. Schools will draw their codes at registration and simply add the code to your name tag.
What if I don’t register? There will be an observer registration table at registration. Please know this time of the morning is very busy so you may need to wait to register. We encourage preregistration to help streamline the process.
When do I need to complete the form? Please complete the registration form no later than 48 hours prior to the event date. For example, if your event is on a Saturday, please complete no later than the Wednesday before the event.
Thank you for supporting your Mock Trial students!
You may review the code of conduct again here. Please click the button below to indicate your agreement.
Resources for Schools
Thank you for joining in on the school orientations. If you missed an orientation, reach out to MCCE directly! A link to the materials we reviewed can be found here. Please pay special attention to the highlighted NEW information including rules changes and the Star Witness and Attorney Awards!
MCCE continued a series of virtual school orientations this year. Our goal continues to be to welcome students into MCCE as well as address questions and processes for everyone. Coach and/or students can attend. We will review the likely schematics, go over how to read the program, Zoom naming conventions (if online), and address any and all questions you may have. This was deemed helpful by those who attended and helped ease some of the technology concerns and process questions for the day. All orientations must occur prior to the start of the first regional.
Monthly Teacher & Coach Roundtable Conversations!
Please join in the monthly teacher and coaches roundtables. These will be structured to include three components to help mobilize the law related education communities through mock trial. At each session expect:
a) Updates on the Mock Trial season from MCCE
b) A mini professional learning session on an issue of import to the community and mock trial practice and
c) Time for you to ask questions of each other to advance mock trial in your schools.
Right now these are scheduled for 5:30-6:30 on Mondays once a month beginning September of 2023.
The Zoom link is here (full url: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82408108490?pwd=me78OauVRlJLoKIB4ALq6GQTbXQ3Iq.1)
Please reserve:
- Monday, September 18
- Monday, October 23
- Monday, November 13
- Monday, December 11
- Monday, January 22
- Possible: Monday, February 5
2023-2024 Additional Information
Regional Events in Detail
Previous Season Materials
Curious about last year’s case? Please see the information below to review last year’s civil case here.
If you are interested in practicing with previous cases, you can see them here:
2021-2022 Case Materials – Hamlin v Orange (Civil) and 2022-2023 Case Materials – People of the State of Michigan v. Lane Hill(Criminal)
Journalist Rules and Guidelines
Questions, Clarifications, and Inquiries about the Case? (Link Pending upon release of case)
Thank You!
Thank you to the sponsors below for making Mock Trial Possible.
Please reach out to show your support and investment in the present and future legal community. Help us make Mock Trial possible all across our great state.
Thank you to the 2022-2023 Sponsors:
