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Department of Political and Global Affairs

Department of Political and Global Affairs

Mock Trial

MTSU Mock Trial is a mock trial simulation that teaches the basics of trial courtroom procedure. Students participate as either witnesses or lawyers. Scroll to the bottom of this page to see Frequently Asked Questions.

Participants learn to prepare and deliver opening statements and closing arguments, 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.

This course is an excellent opportunity for MTSU students interested in law school. It is also a good opportunity for any student who is interested in a career that involves contact with lawyers, such as corporate finance and compliance, health care, labor relations, law enforcement, or corrections.

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 Mock Trial Team, you can travel to other universities to participate in tournaments and competitions.In recent years, the team has traveled to a competition in San Diego, California and Dayton, Ohio, as well as competitions in neighboring states including Georgia, Missouri, and Mississippi.

A photo of MTSU Mock Trial team in front of ornate doors. MTSU Law School prep team.
January 2025 Mock Trial Team
A photo of MTSU Mock Trial team in front of ornate doors. MTSU Law School prep team.
January 2025 Mock Trial Team
A photo of MTSU Mock Trial team in front of ornate doors. MTSU Law School prep team.
January 2025 Mock Trial Team

Mock Trial Officers

Mock Trial held leadership elections in late March 2025. Please check back for results.

Schedule

Upcoming

Guest speaking events held in conjunction with Legal Studies Society. Students interested in Mock Trial are welcome to stop in and learn more about the program.

Concluded
  • American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) Regional Mock Trial Competition hosted by Mississippi College School of Law in Jackson, Mississippi, February 2025.
  • Mid-Missouri Invitational hosted by Columbia College in Columbia, Missouri, January 2025.
  • Grand Ole Tournament hosted by Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, November 2024.

News & Updates

  • In March 2025, Mock Trial and Legal Studies Society welcomed two guest alumni speakers – Mr. Joey Kennedy and Mr. Patrick Morrison. The guests are now practicing attorneys and spoke on law school experiences, careers and internships, and much more. We would like to thank our guests for their time and welcome them back to MTSU!
  • At the Vanderbilt Grand Old Tournament in November 2024, MTSU Mock Trial team members won “Best Attorney” and “Best Witness” awards.
  • In 2023 – 2024, the MTSU Mock Trial Team went to invitational competitions in Kennesaw, Georgia; San Diego, California; and Nashville, Tennessee, with several students winning “Best Attorney” and “Best Witness” awards.
  • In 2023 – 2024, the MTSU Mock Trial Team closed out the competition year by participating in the AMTA Regional Competition at the University of Dayton in Ohio. A MTSU Mock Trial team member again won a “Best Witness” award, but the team did not move to the next level because it did not place among the top six teams out of the twenty-one participating.
  • With the graduation of three experienced team members in May 2024 and the loss of two other members due to changes in personal circumstances, the team started Fall 2024 with only two experienced members. All others were new to Mock Trial. The team undertook a rebuilding effort, with intense training from the attorney coach, three former team members, and three experienced attorneys who volunteered their time. Two of the volunteer attorneys are graduates of MTSU who participating in Mock Trial as students.

Mock Trial Coach

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.

Mr. Himmelreich has more than 38 years of experience in administrative, civil, and criminal matters including Medicare and Medicaid fraud and compliance, discipline of health care professionals, representation of state law enforcement, corrections, and securities regulation agencies, and civil and criminal prosecution of white-collar crimes. He is a Former Deputy Attorney General for the State of Tennessee, Special Assistant District Attorney, and Special Assistant United States Attorney for the Western and Middle Districts of Tennessee.

Contact Mock Trial

Email: dhimmelreich@mtsu.edu
Instagram: @mtsumocktrial
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Robb McDaniel
Please click the buttons below to reach MTSU Mock Trial.

Frequently Asked Questions

MTSU Mock Trial involves a mock trial simulation that teaches the basics of trial court procedures. Students participate as either witnesses or lawyers.

Participants learn to prepare and deliver opening statements and closing arguments, 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 hands-on setting.

While not required, as a member of the MTSU Mock Trial Team, 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 its own class, Legal Courtroom Procedure (Political Science 2100), 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. The Mid-South Mock Trial Invitational was cancelled in 2019 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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. Teams must be prepared to represent either 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 provide constructive feedback.

All members of the team must attend class sessions of PS2100 every Thursday in Peck Hall 211 from 4:30PM – 7:30PM. Team members must also attend weekly team meetings, usually held in the library every Tuesday evening.

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. The case file is quite extensive. It contains witness statements, cellphone and text records, screen shots, photographs, diagrams, legal pleadings and orders, and expert reports. 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 38 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.

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