The Daviess County Judicial Center recently hosted the Kentucky High School Mock Trial Association (KHSMTA) Owensboro Regional Tournament, showcasing the legal skills of high school students from across the state.
Will Mattingly, the vice president of KHSMTA and a local attorney serving as staff attorney for Circuit Court Judges Jay Wethington and Lisa Jones, explained the nature of the mock trial event.
“Mock trial is an activity where a team of high school students takes a closed-universe, fictional case problem and performs the roles of attorneys and witnesses against another team portraying the opposite side,” he said.
The competition challenges students to navigate a case from opening statements to closing arguments, emphasizing critical thinking, public speaking, and quick thinking on their feet. Teams, consisting of three attorneys, three witnesses, and a timekeeper, presented the case from both the prosecution/plaintiff and defense perspectives.
Mattingly, also the chair of the case writing committee and the case author, highlighted the real-world application of the competition, using authentic Kentucky statutes and law in the case problem. This year’s case focused on a criminal scenario involving a young individual accused of setting fire to a historic house for insurance purposes.
The regional tournament in Owensboro featured 11 competing teams, with a 12th team formed from spare students from other teams, known as a bye-buster. Six trials occurred simultaneously four times over the weekend, providing a rigorous and competitive environment.
Teams vied for a chance to advance to the state competition in Covington in March. The teams that secured automatic advancement from the Owensboro Regional Tournament were Highlands High School Team A from Ft. Thomas, Montgomery County High School Red Team from Mt. Sterling, Marion County High School from Lebanon, and Highlands High School Team B from Ft. Thomas.
Jones — reflecting on the collaboration between the Kentucky Courts, high schools, lawyers, teachers, students, families, law enforcement, and KHSMTA — expressed her honor in being part of the event.
“These students are amazing, and what they do inspires me to be better and work harder. They are the future leaders of Kentucky,” she said.
Ben Allison, a member of the Montgomery County Red Team and last year’s state champion, praised mock trial for instilling confidence in public speaking and teaching him to think on his feet. Shayna Garrett, from the 2022 National Champion team and now a student at Western Kentucky University, emphasized the enduring benefits of the activity, stating “The skills it teaches you about public speaking and professionalism are tools you’ll take with you and use in any occupation you may choose to pursue.”
Mattingly said none of the Owensboro or Daviess County schools have participated in the even for the last 4 years, something he’d like to change.
“I did mock trial when I was in high school, and without it, I would not be a lawyer. My coaches in high school include the judges I work for now (Lisa Jones and Jay Wethington) as well as local attorney Evan Taylor. All three are very supportive of mock trial and think it is a very worthwhile activity,” he said.
If anyone is interested in learning more or wants to participate in future mock trials, contact Mattingly at [email protected].
