WHAT IS COLLEGE MOCK TRIAL?
Undergraduate Mock Trial is an intercollegiate competition between schools that are registered with the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA). Over 700 teams nationwide are members of AMTA. These teams compete at invitational tournaments hosted by numerous universities throughout the fall season, and a number of AMTA-hosted tournaments in the spring.
Intercollegiate Mock Trial aims to teach students problem-solving, communication, presentation, and advocacy skills. Each year, teams are provided with a fictional case problem that details a civil or criminal case. Every case problem includes relevant case law, rules of evidence, and witness affidavits. After preparing both a defense and prosecution/ plaintiff case, schools travel around the country to represent their respective universities at Mock Trial competitions.
For more information about undergraduate Mock Trial and tournaments, visit the American Mock Trial Association’s website.
HOW CAN I JOIN TEXAS MOCK TRIAL?
Tryouts for Texas Mock Trial will take place in September 2023. The tryout process begins with our Info Sessions. If you are interested in joining Texas Mock Trial, you must attend one of our info sessions in order to sign up for a try-out slot. After signing up for a tryout time, you will receive tryout information, which will contain all the tryout instructions and materials. Finally, come ready for your tryout on the date you signed up for. We will reach out with tryout results after your tryout date. Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions you have about the tryout process!
Info Sessions will be held in early September. You only have to attend one of these information sessions to sign up for a try-out slot. Learn more on our Join Us page!
HOW MUCH OF A TIME COMMITMENT IS MOCK TRIAL?
Texas Mock Trial is a significant time commitment. However, members of Texas Mock Trial balance their commitment to Mock Trial with other obligations including: work, internships, school, and commitments to other organizations.
Each week, we practice three times, with practices ranging from three to four hours each time we meet. As we approach tournaments, our practices tend to be on the longer side. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, you must be available from 7 pm to 10:30 pm. If practices go longer than 10:30 pm, you are required to stay. On Sundays, the time is more flexible and is decided on a week-by-week basis based on everyone’s availability.
You are expected to attend the best part of Mock Trial— tournaments! We compete multiple times throughout the year both inside and outside of Texas.
OTHER FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Do I have to tryout for the team in September?
In order to be a member of Texas Mock Trial for the 2023-2024 season, you must audition for the Program in September 2023. The recruitment process takes place at the start of every fall semester.
How much does it cost to be in Texas Mock Trial?
Texas Mock Trial is a completely self-funded activity. We pay for our transportation, fees, hotels, and supplies ourselves. We distribute costs among all the members (like hotels) in order to make it more affordable. In the past, members have spent around $3500 over the course of the year.
Will I get to travel?
Yes! Texas Mock Trial travels to tournaments all across the country. To see where we’ve been recently, check out our tournaments tab with season updates and tournament locations.
Do I need mock trial experience to Join?
No! We welcome anyone to tryout, regardless of whether or not they competed on a Mock Trial team in high school or another university. A number of our members joined Texas Mock Trial with no mock trial experience. We’ll teach you everything you need to know!
Does everyone in mock trial want to go to law school?
No! Mock Trial consists of students from every major with different aspirations for the future. Members of our team come from different majors, such as business, engineering, government, and psychology.
TEXAS MOCK TRIAL 