MTSU Mock Trial is a mock trial simulation that teaches the basics of trial courts. Students participate as either witnesses or lawyers.
Participants learn to prepare and deliver opening and closing statements, direct and cross-examinations, and learn how to argue evidentiary objections. Students also become familiar with more subtle aspects of trial work such as courtroom appearance and demeanor.
Mock Trial is open to all majors/minors.
Mock Trial is both a class and a team. You do not have to be enrolled in the course to participate, but if you want credit, you can take the PS 2100 course which is 1 credit hour per semester. Counts for EXL credits.
If you choose to compete on the Team, you can travel to other universities to participate in tournaments and competitions.
For questions or more information, please contact the Mock Trial Attorney Coach/Instructor Mr. David Himmelreich, Esq. He can be emailed at dhimmelreich@mtsu.edu.
The MTSU Mock Trial Team provided prospective students and their parents with a Mock Trial demonstration on Feb. 18 in the Parliamentary Room of the Student Union. MTSU’s Mock Trial Team placed third in its division and in the top six nationally at the American Mock Trial Association’s 28th annual National Championship Tournament last year. [ Read More ]
MTSU’s mock trial team placed third in its division and in the top six nationally at the American Mock Trial Association’s 28th annual National Championship Tournament April 13-15 in Minneapolis, Minn. “Each year, the national championship tournament becomes more and more competitive,” said Dr. John Vile, University Honors College dean and mock trial coach, adding [ Read More ]
Frequently Asked Questions
MTSU Mock Trial is a mock trial simulation that teaches the basics of trial courts. Students participate as either witnesses or lawyers.
Participants learn to prepare and deliver opening and closing statements, direct and cross-examinations, and learn how to argue evidentiary objections. Students also become familiar with more subtle aspects of trial work such as courtroom appearance and demeanor.
Essentially, you are learning about how the legal courtroom works in a hand-on setting.
While not required, you can travel to competitions to compete against teams from other universities, meet attorneys and judges to build your network, develop public speaking and problem solving skills, and work as a member of a professional team.
MTSU Mock Trial was founded in 1990 by Dr. John Vile and Dr. Thomas VanDervort. Since its inception, Mock Trial has become an integral part of MTSU’s Pre-Law curriculum – garnering it’s own class, Legal Courtroom Procedure, and simulation trials in other classes such as Law and the Legal System.
MTSU’s Mock Trial organization has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading competitors with several top-ten finishes in the national championship tournament. In addition to regional and national tournaments in the spring, teams have competed and excelled in invitational tournaments throughout the fall, including tournaments at Saint Louis University, Duke, Wheaton College, John Marshall Law School, Rhodes College, Eastern Kentucky University, and at MTSU’s own invitational tournament—the Mid-South Mock Trial Invitational—one of the largest of its kind in the U.S.
Mock Trial is a student organization that teaches the central proceedings of trial courts through a competitive trial simulation. In mock trial, students play the roles of lawyers and witnesses within a fictional court case. The team from one school portrays the prosecution/plaintiff side of the case using their own attorneys and witnesses, and the team from another school portrays the lawyers and witnesses from the defense side of the case. Students portraying attorneys must question witnesses, make arguments and objections, and enter evidence throughout the trial. The students portraying witnesses must act out interesting and credible characters while being questioned by attorneys from both sides. During competition, trial rounds are judged and scored by practicing attorneys and judges. The scoring panelists determine a winner of each round by scoring team members’ performances and providing constructive feedback.
Every Thursday in Peck Hall 211 from 4:30PM – 7:30PM.
You can earn 1 credit hour per semester for PS 2100: Legal Courtroom Procedure. There is an overall limit of 4 hours total you can earn from this course. You do not have to enroll in the class to participate, but it is encouraged if you can fit the courses into your degree plan.
A new hypothetical case comes every August from the American Mock Trial Association. You can see more by clicking here: https://www.collegemocktrial.org/
Mr. David Himmelreich, Esq. is the Attorney Coach and instructor. He holds an active law license in Tennessee, has practiced law for 28 years and has handled jury trials in civil and criminal cases in state and federal courts.
He has many years of experience teaching trial skills to lawyers at the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office, as well as lawyers in programs run by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy.
He has been with the MTSU Mock Trial Team for several years. He can be reached at dhimmelreich@mtsu.edu.
Yes. You can follow MTSU Mock Trial on social media here. You can visit their website here. Additionally, you can always find updates and news here on this webpage.
