Lee mock trial team set to present homicide case to audience
“Mock trial is a rigorous and demanding activity," faculty sponsor for the Society for Law and Justice Dr. Drew Bledsoe said about the event, "where students study the facts and law of a hypothetical legal case and take on the roles of attorneys and witnesses."
Courtesy of Ben Absher
This Thursday, the Society for Law and Justice is holding a showcase for their mock trial team—a case that will give team members the opportunity to either defend or prosecute a woman accused of murder.
The team is made up of two sectors: the primary and the secondary teams. Both teams have been debating this year's fabricated case of State vs. Dylan Hendricks, an attempted murder trial for Dylan Hendricks after she tried to kill Kerry Bell-Leon.
A central part of mock trial is the case itself, which, while fictional, does have real-life basis. According to Alex Clark, one of the secondary team's captains, the motive behind the crime is the most interesting detail of the case.
“There was an affair going on between Kerry’s husband and Dylan, so a big part is whether or not that would be Dylan’s motive for trying to kill Kerry,” Clark said.
Plowing through the case as an undergraduate is no easy feat, according to faculty sponsor for the Society for Law and Justice Dr. Drew Bledsoe. In fact, Bledsoe said, the skills required for team members is often equivalent, in some ways, to those needed by real-time attorneys in real-life cases.
“Mock trial is a rigorous and demanding activity, where students study the facts and law of a hypothetical legal case and take on the roles of attorneys and witnesses,” Bledsoe said. “Team members have to know the circumstances of their case inside and out, as well as create and present compelling arguments for their respective sides.”
According to Clark, the primary and secondary teams differ slightly in their their approaches and activities throughout the year.
“The primary team is for people with more experience, whereas the secondary team is more for people trying to gain experience,” Clark said. “The main difference is that the primary team goes to regionals in the second semester and the secondary team does the showcase.”
At the showcase, a shortened version of this trial will be held for the Lee and Cleveland community to see. Food will be provided, along with a speech from guest speaker District Public Defender Richard Hughes.
Ben Absher, President of the Society for Law and Justice and primary team captain, said Hughes will be coming to talk about his experience after those in attendance get some legal experience of their own.
“He’ll be discussing his legal profession while all the attendees are casting their votes as jury members,” Absher said.
According to Absher, the showcase provides the best way for students to learn about how mock trial can benefit them.
“It is a recruiting technique so that we can show people what mock trial is and how people can gain things like public speaking and critical thinking skills from it,” Absher said.
Bledsoe said what makes this showcase important is the opportunity it provides for interested students to get a real look at all that's involved in being a part of mock trial.
“The showcase will give Lee students the chance to see our mock trial team in action,” Bledsoe said. “The team will demonstrate what the competitions are like, will explain what goes in to the preparation and practices for the team and will answer questions about the entire process.”
For more information, attend the showcase on April 5 at 6 p.m. in the Johnson Lecture Hall located in the Humanities Building.
