eJournal

As the Massachusetts Bar Association's High School Mock Trial Program enters its 35th year, we invite you to volunteer as an attorney coach, or a judge, for the 2020 season.

Each year, the program has several participating high schools that need an attorney coach. As an attorney coach, you would be needed to help the teams prepare for their preliminary trials during the months of November, December and January. The time commitment is based on both your schedule and the teacher's, but the trials begin at the end of January and run through the end of March, depending on the success of the individual teams. The schools may need your assistance at any time between then and the end of the season to help prepare for upcoming trials. It’s a great way to give back to your community by helping your local high school team compete in this program. 

The 2020 schedule is:

• Teacher and Attorney Coach Orientation: Oct. 29, 2019
• Last dropout date to avoid penalty: Nov. 12, 2019
• Preliminary rounds begin: Week of Jan. 20, 2020 (No trials on Jan. 20, 2020 - Martin Luther King Day)
• Snow makeup week: Week of Feb. 10, 2020
• School vacation week: Week of Feb. 17, 2020
• Tiebreaker week: Week of Feb. 24, 2020
• Regionals and Sweet 16 trials: Sunday, March 1, 2020 (Snow makeup date is Sunday, March 8, 2020)
• Elite Eight and Final Four trials: Week of March 9, 2020
• State Finals trial: Friday, March 20, 2020, at 9:30 a.m. (new start time)

If you do not think you can make the above time commitment as an attorney coach, you might be interested in judging during the competition. Mock Trial Central will provide all interested judges with the materials in advance of your scheduled trials, and there is a Judges' Orientation scheduled on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020, at 5 p.m. at the MBA, 20 West St., Boston. 

"Although I was quite apprehensive about being a Mock Trial judge, I quickly learned what a rewarding experience it is. Not only was I able to appreciate the hard work and dedication of the high school participants, I also developed a greater appreciation for the role of the Massachusetts Bar Association and its importance to the community," said Beth Levenson, an MBA Mock Trial judge since 2007. "As a result, I volunteered to work with the Mock Trial Committee for many years to assist in developing the cases that are used in the competition. This has been a memorable part of my legal career."

If you are interested in participating as an attorney coach or a judge, please contact Mock Trial Central at (617) 338-0570 or mocktrial@massbar.org.