CBA High School Mock Trial Program: Lakewood High School Wins Colorado Mock Trial Tournament, 0616 COBJ, Vol. 45 No. 6 Pg. 21

AuthorCarolyn Gravit, J.

45 Colo.Law 21

CBA High School Mock Trial Program: Lakewood High School Wins Colorado Mock Trial Tournament

Vol. 45 No. 6 [Page 21]

The Colorado Lawyer

June, 2016

Carolyn Gravit, J.

This marks the 32nd year of CBA High School Mock Trials. The program is sponsored by the CBA Litigation Section and the Colorado Bar Foundation. This educational program is one of the leading and most respected educational programs in the country.

More than 110 high school teams participate in Colorado's mock trial program each year. Approximately 1,500 students perform as attorneys and/or witnesses in a court case. Hundreds of attorneys, judges, teachers, and other community leaders volunteer their time to instruct students about the judicial system and the trial process.

Teams from across the state competed in nine regional tournaments that starred high school students from Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Denver, El Paso, Garfield, Jefferson, and Larimer counties. Twenty-four teams went on to compete at the CBA State High School Mock Trial Tournament (April 1-2) at the new Pueblo Combined Court. The Pueblo Combined Court donated maintenance and security costs and provided hundreds of volunteers who presided over, scored, and monitored rounds. The local Pueblo community welcomed the event with a remarkable show of support.

This year, students had to argue both sides of a brutal cold murder case based loosely on the Serial One Podcast while contending with conflicting statements from witnesses.

Ultimately, the team from Lakewood High School was victorious, defeating a team from Regis Jesuit High School in the championship round. The champions advanced to the Naional Mock Trial Championship (May 11-15) in Boise, Idaho, to compete with more than 1,000 students from the United States, U.S. territories, and South Korea.

"Last year, the members of this team were surprised by the level of competition at the state tournament," said attorney coach J. Thomas Macdonald. "This year, they were bound and determined to rise to that level. We could not be prouder of their efforts and their performance. Given the level of competition in Colorado, it is a great honor for them to have won."

Denver Public Schools General Counsel and former Colorado Supreme Court Justice Alex Martinez presided over the championship round. Other members of the championship round panel were:

• Hon. Deborah R. Eyler, Chief Judge, 10th...

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