Mock Trial is an opportunity for undergraduate students to learn about trial techniques used by lawyers in the courtroom. Learning how to present a case clearly and effectively will improve the abilities of both the student who may go on to law school and the student who may not be planning to go on to law school. The Holy Cross Mock Trial Team competes in at least one invitational trial in the fall of each year. For the past two years the team has accepted an invitation to compete at the Yale invitational, we hope this will continue into the future.
Most teams compete at least at one tournament, their regional tournament.
Holy Cross is hoping to host a regional in the near future. Just as the majors of those who plan on attending law school vary, so do the majors of those who join Mock Trial. Holy Cross has had team members in majors ranging from theater to economics and sociology to political science, just to name a few. Standing in a courtroom is by itself foreboding and mock trial allows the beginning lawyer to experience this, helping to determine if they become comfortable with the feeling. Furthermore, courtroom protocol demands an extensive knowledge of the terms of art, the proper procedures, motions and objections used in the courtroom, all of which are also used in Mock Trial just as they would be in the real world.