The Few, the Proud...Mock Trial Friday, March 25, 2011 By Matt Ostovitz [ArticleImageHyperLink] Advertising     The stale smell of legal paper work fills your lungs as you take a deep breath, your colleagues stand beside you, a briefcase is firmly secured in your tightening grip. The elevator moves steadily upwards towards floor three- the metal doors snap open upon arriving at your destination. Everyone steps out into the dimly lit hallway in crisp, black suits, ties tucked in, hair pulled back- eyes reflecting a steadfast determination.      Swing open the doors, and the court room appears before you: an arena. You greet your opponents with handshakes and formalities and politely take your seat, reciting lines of legal dialogues in your head at incredibly speeds. Your hands sweat a bit, but that’s normal. Your head aches but it’s only the adrenaline; it's good for you.      The judge enters and court is now in session: one party will win, one will lose- the deciding factors shall be verbal wit, fast argumentation, powerfully applied logic, and guts: these are your tools for success.     Mock Trial is a quickly over looked school activity because most assume that it mimics the more popular Speech and Debate Club. This is a common misconception. On the contrary, Mock Trial is a sprawling series of intense intellectual battles between collections of highly aggressive students. Nothing but a rule book and case outlines are presented to your team- the rest is up to you.     You create the arguments, derive the charges, formulate the “directs,” closing statements, opening statements, and apply the law. It’s all up to you. And that is exactly why Mock Trial is unique: it’s a real world simulation.     The judges are brutal, the opponents unforgiving, the law concrete, the rules are easily bendable. It’s all about what you can get away with in court. Can you manipulate the case to your favor and run with it? The top teams can. Can you hold your own in a cross-examination where you sit in the jury box and are grilled for a length of time on what you have previously uttered in court? The top teams can.     Catonsville High School has upheld a reputation for being a highly competitive member of the Mock Trial Tournament association in Maryland, reaching Semi-Finals a number of times. Teams have always been assembled with selective care, and practice is held almost daily for as long as the team remains alive and in the in the running.     The structure of a team consists of three lawyers, three witnesses, and two coaches. Witnesses memorize affidavits and form Directs with corresponding lawyers, as well as practice possible cross-examination inquiries to prepare witnesses for serious grilling when they are in the spotlight during actual matches.          Lawyers must create opening statements to be presented at the beginning of their match, and closing statements to sum up the argument in a fiery, emotion-filled finale. Lawyers must also cross-examine opposing witnesses in order to puncture holes in the other team’s arguments and otherwise make them look foolish in front of the Judge.     IAnd, if nothing else, Mock Trial can teach an individual serious life skills such as charisma, hasty analysis, confidence, and fashionable dress style.

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