On December 17th, 2008

Hey guys make sure on wednesday of december 17th, you need to come to our mandatory meeting. make sure you bring your case so we can go over direct and cross examination of Alex Hamilton's affidavit.

Assignment

Hi guys:

Now that we have stuffed ourselves with turkey etc., it is time to get down to work.  Please review the 2009 Mock Trial Case of Alex Sadler v. Parker Hamilton.  Please choose either the Plantiff or Defendant party and be prepared to list all of the legal issues for your client tomorrow at 2:30 in T-6.  We will have a poster board for each party and the goal is to fill the entire poster board with all legal issues based on the facts provided.

Coach Bain

Assignment

Hi guys:

Please prepare for our Thursday meeting by selecting one of the characters on our mock trial site whose part you will play.  The choices are:  Dale Reynolds, Dr. Pat Carroll, Nickie Loo, and Jane Martinez. The assignment is to become this person.  Your affidavit is the most important thing in your life on Thursday at 2:30 PM.  We do not want a flat monotone recitation of facts.  By Thursday you need to BE this character.

Coach Bain

Meeting 11/13/08

Tomorrow's meeting will begin at 2:45 because of early dismissal.  Please report to Room T-6 promptly so we can begin work.  Please be prepared tomorrow to discuss the Direct/Cross Practice Trial Materials located on this blogsite.  We will need 1/2 of the team to represent the prosecution and the other half to represent the defense.

See you tomorrow at 2:45 PM.

Coach Bain

October 17, 2008

Meeting called to order at 2:30

Sample Winning Brief
*We will follow the form of a brief, but it will be an oral presentation instead of a written one.
Documents on the website

*For next week, Come prepared to discuss the pages on direct, cross, re-direct, re-cross, applicable law, affidavits of witnesses
Select two roles and be prepared to assume those roles next week during our meeting

Suduko pages

Teach you deductive reasoning

(Difference between a set and a subset)
*A set is a group of members that have something in common.

*A subset exists within the set and shares other commonalities.

Solving the puzzles using deductive reasoning:
You must have two valid pieces of information before you draw a conclusion.
There are many ways to solve the puzzles.

Meeting adjourned at 3:30

September 18, 2008

Hi Team:

Here are the topics we will discuss at our Thursday meeting on 9/18/08.

1. The American legal system, including citizen participation.
2. The role of the judicial branch of government, including checks and balances.
3. The concept of equal justice for all.
4. Basic court procedures.
5. Professional responsibilities and ethical obligations of attorneys.
6. Legal issues in Civil and Criminal Law.

Please take time to prepare for our Thursday meeting so that each of you can contribute to the discussion and the understanding of the topics above.  I will see you at 2:30 on Thursday.

Coach Bain

Hi Team:

Here is a little background information on your attorney/coach.  

I first participated on the debate team in high school in Texas.  I went to David Lipscomb College in Nashville, TN and majored in speech and Bible. My team placed second at the national college debate tournament in Houston.  While in 
graduate school at Miami University (Ohio) I served as the college debate coach.  I then moved to Austin, Texas to attend
law school at the University of Texas (consistently among the top 5 in US law schools) and participated in the mock trial competition.  I have participated in approximately one thousand trials and hearings since being licensed to practice law in 1974.

I am working on a list of discussion topics for the meeting this Thursday and will post those topics by the end of the day tomorrow.

M. Dewey Bain

Attorney-at-Law

Direct versus Cross Examination

DIRECT: The direct always happens first in a trial.

You aren't quite trying to prove a point, but you need to show the strengths and weaknesses while emphasizing the positives.

This is like a conversation between two people, it should flow. The lawyer and the witness need to work together to create the direct.

Make sure you ask NONLEADING questions [these are broad and general]

Witnesses need to use the opportunity to "become" their character because you'll be explaining things a lot.

CROSS: The cross usually comes second in a trial

Make sure that you write your cross ahead of time, your questions should change only slightly depending on the answers your witness gives.

Only ask LEADING questions [yes or no questions, these are very specific and usually they include a fact and a confirmation]

If your direct witness is being crossed, you are his or her "protection", listen for questions you can object to.

Witness, don't be so tense. The cross examination is not an attack on you, think quickly and answer carefully.


[this is the list of pairs and the witnesses they worked with:

• Thomas and Sheena: Dr. Pat Carroll
• Christina and Jennifer: Jan Martinez
• Justin and Shayna: Dale Reynolds
• Marc and Evan: Nickie Loo
• Kimberly and Hannah: Dr. Pat Carroll]

Also, you can download/view the case materials from the links on the right column [the one that says links...]


-Sheena P

Team Organization

QUICK REVIEW:

How many people can compete at one time per team?

FOURTEEN!! 14!!! CATORCE!!!

Anyway: These fourteen people are split into teams of seven: one for defense and one for prosecution.

These two teams of seven are further split into: 1 timekeeper, 3 witnesses, and 3 lawyers.

This is team organization. One of the reasons we had you all sign the Expectations was because we need to make sure that you are all ready to make the commitment. If you still want to be involved, but you can't make the commitment to having a permanent spot on the team, then we can sub people in and out. Either way, you are welcome to attend meetings and participate in the activities we'll use to prepare for the competition.

Don't forget to fill out your forms and sign the Expectations [REMEMBER TO KEEP THE EXPECTATIONS. And don't forget...IT'S YOUR BIBLE]. Because we love the Expectations so much, there is a link to the Google document on the right column, under "links".

Thanks so much!

Welcome Welcome Welcome

Hello future members:

Thank you for considering our club as one of your future activities for next year. Most of you signed up on our email list because you were interested in "Mock Trial". The cursory description we gave to most of you is "it's exactly what it sounds like". And it is. Coached by volunteer attorneys and teachers, teams of 14 students work together to prepare their presentations from case materials provided by the High School Mock Trial Committee. During the competition students play the roles of attorneys and witnesses based on the evidence and witness statements. Professional attorneys or judges serve as the presiding judges and juror/evaluators. Teams are evaluated on their ability to make a logical, cohesive and persuasive presentation, rather than on the legal merits of the case.

Participating in this competition is our main goal. To prepare, we have many plans. Some of the things we aspire to do is hold practice mock trials [does this sound slightly redundant?] in which we will be able to hone in on our strengths and weaknesses as a team. Also, we wish to hold some scrimmage mock trials with other teams from our county. We have made this blog in order for you all to stay up to date. You can find any updates and plans for the club right here on the blog. Also, any questions or comments you post on the blog will be directly answered by one of the executive officers. Sheena Patel and Taeyup Kim are the founder for the club and are taking the positions as co-presidents. At our first meeting next year, we can discuss the need for further officer rankings and who would be willing to run for these positions.

Once more, thank you for your time.

-Sheena Patel