Posted in: Lawyers › None, Mock Trial
Students representing 38 teams from middle schools and high schools across South Carolina will demonstrate their court room skills in the first-ever joint SC Bar Regional Mock Trial Competition on Feb. 26 and 27. The event is being held virtually – another first-time development for the competition – in light of the ongoing pandemic.
“Mock Trial is an amazing program that has a lasting impact on the lives of our participants – students, teachers, attorney coaches, and judges,” says Cynthia H. Cothran, the South Carolina Bar’s Law Related Education (LRE) director. “With this year’s added virtual component, all participants are showing their determination and perseverance to overcome life’s challenges and succeed at something they enjoy doing. We hope everyone has a memorable competition experience.”
Students will fill the roles of attorneys, witnesses, bailiffs and timekeepers in the fictitious negligence case, Corey Stark v Springs Park, Inc. Demonstrating mastery of their roles, students will present the case before a panel of volunteer lawyers and judges hailing from every corner of the state. Each team will be judged on its presentation skills, rather than the legal merits of the case.
Participating middle schools include:
Bob Jones Academy, Greenville
Buist Academy for Advanced Studies, Charleston
Chapin Middle, Chapin
Clemson Area Classical Academy, Clemson
Dent Middle School, Columbia
Johnston Edgefield Trenton Middle School, Johnston
Longleaf Middle School, Columbia
Palmetto Academy of Learning and Success, Myrtle Beach
St. Andrew Catholic School, Myrtle Beach
St. James – Santee Elementary and Middle, Charleston
Participating high schools include:
Columbia regional
AC Flora High School, Columbia
Chapin High School, Chapin
Fort Mill High School, Fort Mill
Lucky Beckham High School, Mt. Pleasant
Socastee High School, Myrtle Beach
WJ Keenan High School, Columbia
York Preparatory Academy, York
Conway regional
Bob Jones Academy, Greenville
Brookland Cayce High School, Cayce
Cane Bay High School, Summerville
Carolina Forest High School, Myrtle Beach
Charleston School of the Arts, Charleston
Conway Christian Academy, Conway
Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics, Hartsville
Greenville Senior High School, Greenville
Lexington High School, Lexington
Wilson High School, Florence
Greenville regional
Academic Magnet School, Charleston
Beaufort Academy, Beaufort
Dreher High School, Columbia
Dutch Fork High School, Irmo
Eau Claire High School, Columbia
Fort Dorchester High School, North Charleston
Nation Form High School, Fort Mill
Spring Hill High School, Chapin
Strom Thurmond High School, Johnston
Waccamaw High School, Pawleys Island
The High School State Competition will be held virtually March 11-13 with a total of the 12 top teams advancing from regional competitions, and the State Champion will compete in the virtual National Competition May 8-9. Middle Schools will not participate in a state competition.
The Mock Trial Program is sponsored by the SC Bar’s LRE Division, which was developed in 1976 to improve the ability of teachers to instruct law related education. The program is supported by the Bar’s LRE Committee and made possible through a SC Bar Foundation Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts grant and the SC Bar. The program cultivates understanding of the legal system as well as critical thinking skills, problem analysis and teamwork.