Welcome to the 26th Annual National High School Mock Trial Championship in Atlanta
The 2009 National Champion Mock Trial Team is from John Adams High School in South Bend, Indiana.
The 2009 National Finalist Mock Trial Team is from Lakeville North High School in Lakeville, Minnesota.
The 2009 Professionalism Award, sponsored by the Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism, was awarded to the mock trial team from St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School in Hagatna, Guam.
The Georgia High School Mock Trial Committee, which is a project of the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia, is proud to host the National High School Mock Trial Championship for the second time in the program's history. We look forward to welcoming over 40 state champion mock trial teams from around the nation and across the world to our Capital City in May 2009.
The NHSMTC is the premiere national law-related academic tournament for high school students. Mock trial programs are designed to give students an inside perspective of the legal system, providing them with an understanding of the mechanism through which society chooses to resolve many of its disputes. Participation in a performance-based, hands-on program of this nature provides students with a practical knowledge about how our legal system operates and who the major players are in that system. While mock trial programs are not designed to create junior lawyers, they do help to develop young citizens who can sustain and build our nation by making a reasoned and informed commitment to democracy.
Participation in a mock trial program provides students the opportunity to improve important life skills, including oral advocacy, critical thinking and effective communication skills. Quality preparation, teamwork and the importance of following the rules are also emphasized and all of these attributes will stand students in good stead throughout their lives, regardless of their chosen career path.
Education of young people is the primary goal of any mock trial program. Healthy competition helps to achieve this goal. The Georgia Host Committee looks forward to providing an educational experience for high school mock trial students that is challenging, competitive and fun. Welcome to the 26th Annual National High School Mock Trial Championship and may the best team win in Atlanta in May!