Order In The Court

Speech and Debate team to participate in its very first MBA mock trial

Mrs.+Franke+runs+a+T-shirt+meeting+for+speech+and+debate+club+in+early+September.+She+will+sponsor+a+mock+trial+beginning+Oct.+14.

Lucy Hunter

Mrs. Franke runs a T-shirt meeting for speech and debate club in early September. She will sponsor a mock trial beginning Oct. 14.

Brandon Hennis, Reporter

What do you want to be? If you answered “lawyer” or “actor” or anything in between, you now have a unique chance to showcase your skills.

For the very first time, Liberty’s students will have the opportunity to experience and be a part of a mock trial.

Preparations will begin on Monday, Oct. 14 in room 206. Not only could it be a lot of fun, but it could also look great on students’ resume. 

The case, sent out by the Missouri Bar Association, is of course not a real nor based off of a real case. And only a limited amount of the case information is currently available. The roles of lawyers, defendants, witnesses and more will be decided on the first meeting.

Mrs. Franke, our speech and debate teacher, will be running the team of students who are up to the challenge. They will also receive help with their case from an actual attorney, though it is still unknown if he will be with the students at the tournament. 

“I’m begging students to get involved because of all the great things they’ll learn and experiences they’ll have from being coached by an attorney,” Franke said. 

The first regional preliminary round will be Jan. 21 and 23, 2020. The actual trial will take place in a real court room, giving students a look into how a real case proceeds.

No matter how they do in the first round, they will move on to the second round, which is Feb. 18 and 20, 2020. If the team wins there, they will progress on to the St. Louis regional, then state, and of course from there, nationals. 

Many have begun to express interest in this new endeavor at Liberty. Sophomore Sruthi Ramesh will be participating in the mock trial, as captain of the speech and debate team. 

“None of this would be possible without Franke, she worked really hard to make this happen,” Ramesh said. “I’m really excited for this unique opportunity. I’m not sure where it’ll take us, but we’ll do it together.”

If you are interested in joining mock trial, please sign up by clicking here.