The Middle School Mock Trial (MSMT) Program is a hands-on exercise in learning about due process. It is a team activity program that is most often conducted as an extracurricular activity, but can also incorporated into law, forensics or public speaking classes.
Who can Participate
Private schools, home school groups and community groups are welcome and encouraged to participate. Students representing attorneys and witnesses for both sides of a fictional case role play that case being tried in court. The students are guided in their case through support of their teacher and attorney coaches. The program teaches the legal process and trial procedure.
Program Effectiveness
By incorporating Mock Trial in middle schools, students can learn about the basis of our American judicial system and the mechanics of litigation. In addition, students are encouraged to learn and understand the meaning of good citizenship in a democracy. Mock trial is exciting to share in any classroom or club, and it encourages participation, critical thinking, speaking skills and teamwork.The Mock Trial program also serves to increase cooperation, respect and support between the community and the legal profession. All participants are encouraged to keep in mind that the goal of the Mock Trial program is not to win for the sake of winning, but to learn and understand the meaning of good citizenship in a democracy through participation in our system of law and justice. All who participate in the Mock Trial competition are winners in this sense.
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Middle School Mock Trial Process & Trainings
Through participation in the mock trial program, students will increase basic skills such as listening, speaking, writing, reading and problem analysis.
- Each participating school enters a team sponsored by a teacher volunteer that is ideally composed of between six and 16 students, but can have more students filling alternate roles.
- Teams try a fictional case against other teams at regional competitions in the fall of each year.
- The top two teams from each regional competition advance to the state championship in December.
Teacher Trainings
The South Carolina Bar Law Related Education (LRE) Division offers training for new teacher and attorney coaches every summer in preparation for the fall competition.The trainings are not mandatory for teams to be eligible to compete, but they do assist in preparation for a strong and organized team. At the training, teachers are provided with an outline of middle school mock trial guidelines, hands-on activities, videos, mock trial classroom instructional materials and a question/answer session with attorney coaches and mock trial teachers.
Should you have any questions, please post them in the Mock Trial Forum.
Request a Coaches Manual
Mock Trial Discussion Forum
Teacher & Coach Toolkit
Scrimmage Board
The SC Bar is excited to bring you the Mock Trial Scrimmage Board to help facilitate the ability for teams to have practice competitions prior to the SC Bar Mock Trial competitions. This will provide a great opportunity to give students more competition experience. The SC Bar is not responsible for the activities organized by individual teachers. The SC Bar does not monitor the scrimmage board. The SC Bar will not provide funding for travel, judges, venue locations, or resources outside of what is provided on the web. While teams are encouraged to participate in scrimmages, scrimmage pairings are not taken into consideration for regional and/or state competition pairings. This means it is possible that a team scrimmaged could be an opponent in the actual competition(s). This board is made available through the Google Docs link below and is updated in real time.
Images
Facebook Sample posts:
- Our Mock Trial team is ready to take the stand on (Date) at the Middle School Mock Trial competition! Good luck, future leaders #RocktheMockSC⚖️
- The Middle School Mock Trial exposes students to all components of the legal process and trial procedure. Guided by outstanding attorney coach _______, our team is ready to #RocktheMockSC⚖️
- We are ____ days away from #RocktheMockSC⚖️ and the Mock Trial team is ready to put their skills to the ultimate test at the regional Middle School Mock Trial competition! What better way for students to learn due process than through hands-on experiences?!
- After months of preparation, the day is (almost) here! Our Mock Trial team hits the road tomorrow for the regional Mock Trial competition. Good luck, future leaders #RocktheMockSC⚖️
Twitter Sample posts:
- The Mock Trial team is ready to #RocktheMockSC⚖️ on the stand at the Middle School Mock Trial competition. Best of luck, team!
- They say “don’t rock the boat,” but no one’s told our team “don’t #RocktheMockSC⚖️”! Good luck to the Mock Trial team at the regional competition (Date)!
- We’re ____ away from Mock Trial and our team is busy dotting all i’s and crossing all t’s before the big day. We can’t wait for our students to rep us well and #RocktheMockSC⚖️!
- Tomorrow is the day – regional Middle School Mock Trial day is HERE! 🥳 Good luck, _______! #RocktheMockSC⚖️
High schools that competed in 2024.
Columbia Regional High School Mock Trial Teams
AC Flora High School
Catawba Ridge High School
Dreher High School
Fort Mill High School
Governor's School for Science and Mathematics
Hammond School
Indian Land High School
Richland Northeast High School
Ridge View High School
Spring Valley High School
Trinity Collegiate School
W.J. Keenan High School
Georgetown Regional High School Mock Trial Teams
Academic Magnet High School
Beaufort Academy
Berkeley High School
Cane Bay High School
Charleston County School of the Arts
Fort Dorchester High School
Lucy Beckham High School
Porter Gaud School
Scholars Academy
Waccamaw High School
Greenville Regional High School Mock Trial Teams
Bob Jones Academy
Eastside High School
Gaffney High School
Garden Academy
GREEN Upstate High School
Greenville Sr. High Academy
Greenwood High School
Seneca Classical Academy
Wade Hampton High School
Greenville Regional High School Mock Trial Teams
Chapin High School
Dutch Fork High School
Fox Creek High School
Goose Creek High School
Lexington High School
Spring Hill High School
Strom Thurmond High School
Summerville High School
Competition Documents & Forms
Past Champions
2023 Middle School Mock Trial
- Palmetto Academy for Learning and Success - Myrtle Beach - TM
- Bob Jones Academy - Greenville - JN
- JET Middle - Johnston - AL
- Ten Oaks Middle - Myrtle Beach - DC
- Dent Middle - Columbia - MD
- Merriwether Middle - North Augusta - KB
- Forest Creek Middle - Fort Mill - WI
- Pleasant Knoll Middle - Fort Mill - OK
- Hand Middle - Columbia - FR
- Jackson STEM Magnet Middle - Jackson - UV
- Buist Academy - Charleston - XH
- Longleaf Middle - Columbia - RD
2022 Middle School Mock Trial
- JET Middle - Johnston - FR
- Bob Jones Academy - Greenville - MD
- St. Andrew Catholic - Myrtle Beach - DC
- Forest Creek Middle - Fort Mill - XH
- Dent Middle - Columbia - OK
- Ten Oaks Middle - Myrtle Beach - JN
- Palmetto Academy for Learning and Success - Myrtle Beach - UV
- Chapin Middle - Chapin - AL
- Buist Academy - Charleston - WI
- Pleasant Knoll Middle - Fort Mill - TM
- Hand Middle - Columbia - KB
- Jackson STEM Magnet Middle - Jackson - RD
2021 Middle School Mock Trial
- No State Competition
- Region Winner - JET Middle School, Johnston
- First Runner-Up - Dent Middle School, Columbia
2020 Middle School Mock Trial - Held Feb 2021 due to Covid
- No State Competition
- Region Winner - JET Middle School, Johnston
- First Runner-Up - Bob Jones Academy, Greenville
2019 Middle School Mock Trial State Results
- Buist Academy, Charleston - HS
- Socastee Middle, Myrtle Beach - DL
- St. Andrew Catholic School, Myrtle Beach - PM
- Ft. Mill Middle, Fort Mill - AB
- JET Middle, Johnston - LR
- Dutch Fork Middle, Irmo - JC
- Chapin Middle, Chapin - ER
- Heathwood Hall Episcopal, Columbia - BP
- Bob Jones Academy, Greenville - FD
- Dent Middle, Columbia - ST
- Ten Oaks Middle, Myrtle Beach - WA
- Moultrie Middle, Mt. Pleasant - US
2018 Middle School Mock Trial State Results
- Heathwood Hall Episcopal, Columbia - PM
- Buist Academy, Charleston - FD
- Pleasant Knoll, Fort Mill - CH
- Dent Middle, Columbia - BP
- Ft. Mill Middle, Fort Mill - US
- Chapin Middle, Chapin - RB
- JET Middle, Johnston - ST
- Ten Oaks Middle, Myrtle Beach - XY
- Hand Middle, Columbia - GR
- Lexington Middle, Lexington - EZ
- St. Andrew Catholic School, Myrtle Beach - OP
- Blythewood Middle, Blythewood - DL
2017 Middle School Mock Trial State Results
- Fort Mill Middle School, Ft. Mill
- Forestbrook Middle School, Myrtle Beach
- Dent Middle School, Columbia
- Bob Jones Academy, Greenville
- Dutch Fork Middle School, Irmo
- Socastee Middle School, Myrtle Beach
- Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, Columbia
- Hand Middle School, Columbia
- Chapin Middle School, Chapin
- Buist Academy, Charleston
- Moultrie Middle School, Mt. Pleasant
- Pleasant Knoll Middle School, Lexington
2016 Middle School Mock Trial State Results
- Moultrie Middle School, Mt. Pleasant
- Chapin Middle School, Chapin
- Buist Academy, Charleston
- York Preparatory Academy, Rock Hill
- Fort Mill Middle School, Ft. Mill
- Forestbrook Middle School, Myrtle Beach
- Black Water Middle School, Myrtle Beach
- Ocean Bay Middle School, Myrtle Beach
- Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, Columbia
- Hand Middle School, Columbia
- JET Middle School, Johnston
- Kingstree Middle School, Kingstree
2015 Middle School Mock Trial Region only, No State Competition due to floods
Charleston Region - Moultrie Middle, Mt. Pleasant
Conway Region - Forestbrook Middle, Myrtle Beach
Greenville Region - Meriwether Middle, N. Augusta
Lexington Region - Dent Middle, Columbia
2014 MSMT State Results
- Forestbrook Middle School, Myrtle Beach
- Moultrie Middle School, Mt. Pleasant
- Ocean Bay Middle School, Myrtle Beach
- Buist Academy, Charleston
- JET Middle School, Johnston
- Sullivan Middle School, Ft. Mill
- St. James Middle School, Myrtle Beach
- Dent Middle School, Columbia
- Blackwater Middle School, Myrtle Beach
- Marrington Middle School, Goose Creek
- Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, Columbia
- Hand Middle School, Columbia
2013 Middle School Mock Trial State Results
- Forestbrook Middle School, Myrtle Beach
- Ocean Bay Middle School, Myrtle Beach
- Dutch Fork Middle School, Irmo
- Dent Middle School, Columbia
- St. James Middle School, Myrtle Beach
- Sullivan Middle School, Ft. Mill
- Marrington Middle School, Goose Creek
- North Myrtle Beach Middle School, North Myrtle Beach
- Buist Academy, Charleston
- Meadow Glen Middle School, Lexington
- JET Middle School, Johnston
- Hand Middle School, Columbia
2012 Middle School Mock Trial State Results
- Forestbrook Middle School, Myrtle Beach
- Ocean Bay Middle School, Myrtle Beach
- Hand Middle School, Columbia
- Johnsonville Middle School, Johnsonville
- Dutch Fork Middle School, Irmo
- North Myrtle Beach Middle School, North Myrtle Beach
- Springfield Middle School, Ft. Mill
- Hammond School, Columbia
- Myrtle Beach Middle School, Myrtle Beach
- JET Middle School, Johnston
- Dent Middle School, Columbia
- Crayton Middle School, Columbia
2011 Middle School Mock Trial State Results
- Johnsonville Middle School, Johnsonville
- Forestbrook Middle School, Myrtle Beach
- Lexington Middle School, Lexington
- Dutch Fork Middle School, Irmo
- Hammond School, Columbia
- Crayton Middle School, Columbia
- Springfield Middle School, Ft. Mill
- St. Anthony Catholic School, Florence
- Marrington Middle School, Goose Creek
- JET Middle School, Johnston
2010 Middle School Mock Trial State Results
- Forestbrook Middle School, Myrtle Beach
- Crayton Middle School, Columbia
- Ocean Bay Middle School, Myrtle Beach
- Gold Hill Middle School, Ft. Mill
- Dutch Fork Middle School, Irmo
- Johnsonville Middle School, Johnsonville
- Greenville Middle School, Greenville
- Hand Middle School, Columbia
- Lexington Middle School, Lexington
- St. Anne's Catholic School, Sumter
2009 Middle School Mock Trial State Results
- Forestbrook Middle School, Myrtle Beach
- North Myrtle Beach Middle School, North Myrtle Beach
- Springfield Middle School, Ft. Mill
- Gold Hill Middle School, Ft. Mill
- St. Anthony Catholic School, Florence
- Crayton Middle School, Columbia
- Marrington Middle School, Goose Creek
- Hanahan Middle School, Hanahan
- St. Anne's Catholic School, Sumter
- Lexington Middle School, Lexington
- Andrew Jackson Middle School, Kershaw
- Greenville Middle School, Greenville
2008 Middle School Mock Trial State Results
- Springfield Middle School, Ft. Mill
- North Myrtle Beach Middle School, North Myrtle Beach
- Johnsonville Middle School, Johnsonville
- Forestbrook Middle School, Myrtle Beach
- Blythewood Middle School, Blythewood
- Marrington Middle School, Goose Creek
- Hand Middle School, Columbia
- Dutch Fork Middle School, Irmo
- Ashley Hall, Charleston
- Crayton Middle School, Columbia
2007 Middle School Mock Trial State Results
- Springfield Middle School, Ft. Mill
- North Myrtle Beach Middle School, North Myrtle Beach
- St. Anthony Catholic School, Florence
- Hand Middle School, Columbia
- Marrington Middle School, Goose Creek
- Ocean Bay Middle School, Myrtle Beach
- Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, Columbia
- Blythewood Middle School, Blythewood
- Johnsonville Middle School, Johnsonville
- Dutch Fork Middle School, Irmo
- Lexington Middle School, Lexington
- Ashley Hall, Charleston
- St. Joseph Catholic School, Columbia
- Southeast Middle School, Hopkins
2006 Middle School Mock Trial State Results
- Hand Middle School, Columbia
- Bob Jones Academy, Greenville
- North Myrtle Beach Middle School, North Myrtle Beach
- Southeast Middle School, Hopkins
- Johnsonville Middle School, Johnsonville
- St. Anthony Catholic School, Florence
- Northside Middle School
- Ashley Hall, Charleston
- Marrington Middle School, Goose Creek
- Southside Middle School, Florence
2005 Middle School Mock Trial State Results
- Johnsonville Middle School, Johnsonville
2004 Middle School Mock Trial State Results
- Johnsonville Middle School, Johnsonville
2003 Middle School Mock Trial State Results
Piedmont Winner - Riverside Middle School, Greer
Midlands Winner - Lady's Island Middle School, Beaufort
Pee Dee Winner - Myrtle Beach Middle School, Myrtle Beach
2002 Middle School Mock Trial State Results
- Sneed Middle School, Florence