Kansas Bar Association Announces Winners of Annual Kansas High School Mock Trial State Tournament

The Kansas Bar Association is pleased to announce the winning teams from the Kansas High School Mock Trial State Tournament conducted Saturday, March 23, at the Shawnee County Courthouse in Topeka. Placing first was Maur Hill – Mount Academy Team A. Finishing in second place was Piper High School Team A. And in third was Maur Hill – Mount Academy Team B.

The competition saw 70 students prosecute and defend the example case, Hughes v. Ting, a civil problem involving the sale of a famous painting and whether the buyer or seller is ultimately responsible for determining its provenance and authenticity. Overseeing the courtrooms were 25 volunteer judges from the legal community.

“Mock Trial is an invaluable activity for these high school students,” says Meredith Ashley, Mock Trial chair. “It teaches public speaking, yes, but most of all, it is an opportunity for students to think on their feet, react strategically, and interact with adults in the legal field.”

Eight high school teams qualified for the annual competition after placing at one of the two regional competitions held on Saturday, Feb. 24, at the Johnson County District Court and the Sedgwick County District Court. Those teams were: Northeast Magnet High School (Teams A and B), Blue Valley North (Teams A and B), Maur Hill – Mount Academy (Teams A and B), Piper High School, and Manhattan High School. Unfortunately, the Manhattan High School team was unable to attend because of scheduling conflicts.

Maur Hill – Mount Academy Team A will represent Kansas in the National High School Mock Trial Competition on May 2–4 in Wilmington, Delaware, where they will be competing against teams from across the country and abroad. (See https://wilmington2024.nhsmtc.org/ for more information.)

More than 200 students and 60 judges took part in the regional competitions on Feb. 24 at the Johnson County District Court in Olathe and the Sedgwick County District Court in Wichita.

“Each year, the practicing attorneys that serve as judges for the competition continue to be impressed by the caliber of the participants,” says Morgan Geffre, KBA Young Lawyers Section president. “The students are so talented it’s easy to forget they are in high school.”

The Kansas High School Mock Trial competition was founded in 1996 by the Kansas Bar Association and the Kansas Supreme Court. The competition is currently organized primarily through the KBA’s Young Lawyer Section and supported by an IOLTA grant from the Kansas Bar Foundation.

IOLTA, Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts, is a program that collects interest generated on pooled client funds held in trust accounts and uses that money to help support civil legal aid, access to justice, and law related education programs.

The competition is a law-focused program designed to provide high school students with an operational understanding of substantive and procedural legal issues and the judicial process. Mock trials involve preparing for and participating in simulated trials overseen by volunteers from the legal community who serve as judges. The program is a challenging and exciting learning experience that gives students first-hand knowledge of courtroom procedures.

In the spring, teams participate in one of two regional competitions in at least two rounds of competition, both prosecuting and defending the case. Each team consists of three student attorneys and three student witnesses. The top teams from each regional tournament compete at the state tournament. The top team from the state tournament competes at the High School Mock Trial Competition.