The Â鶹ÊÓƵ Mock Trial program will compete against 22 other teams from 15 universities in the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) Southeast Regional Tournament in Chapel Hill, NC on February, 5-6, 2010.
Fresh off of their 11th-place finish in the UCLA Sunset Strip Invitational three weeks ago, two of Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s three mock trial teams will try to earn Â鶹ÊÓƵ bids to the AMTA Opening Round Championship Series. Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s teams consist of 13students from all majors and departments. This will be the fifth tournament of the season for Â鶹ÊÓƵ Mock Trial.
Among the teams in competition will be Duke University, Wake Forest University, the University of Central Florida, the University of Georgia, and Washington & Lee University. Fellow Southern Conference schools Furman University, Davidson College, The Citadel and the College of Charleston will also be in attendance.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ Mock Trial looks to carry forward the momentum from last year and earn bids to the Championship Series for the second time in the team’s history. Â鶹ÊÓƵ Mock Trial has been competing in AMTA since 2003. The team has been preparing since the beginning of the academic year, meeting two and three times a week for more two hours at a time.
The team uses the same case all year. The case this year is a criminal conspiracy murder trial. Famed movie producer Jackie Owens has been accused of murdering his business partner, Jacob Bennett. The two along with a third partner, Casey Maxwell, collectively form the move production company of Trifecta Entertainment. After Jacob’s body was found buried at the Calkins Cliffs, CSI Jordan Lee conducted an investigation that led the State of Midlands to bring murder charges against Jackie Owens.
The Â鶹ÊÓƵ students who will be competing this weekend on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill are:
Team 1017: Kathryn Hopkins ’10, Amanda Morrissey ’10, Daniel Harwell ’10, Kristen DelForge ’11, Michael McFarland ’12, Andrew Stevenson ’13, and Allie Weller ’13.
Team 1018: Carolyn Baumgarten ’11, Taylor Kloustin ’13, Amanda Stearns ’13, Elayne Monjar ’13, Phil Cheney ’13, and Saige Subick ’13.
The teams are coached and accompanied by William Warihay, a 2007 Â鶹ÊÓƵ graduate and a third-year law student at Â鶹ÊÓƵ School of Law.
For more information on Â鶹ÊÓƵ Mock Trial, please visit the web site listed to the right of this page.