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About Mock Trial
The FCLC Mock Trial Team is one of the most unique opportunities available to the FCLC community. Mock Trial is the best activity on campus for the development of students interested in a legal career. We are the only club or team on campus in which you will have the rare opportunity to work closely with Fordham Law School students and graduates in the creation and presentation of a realistic legal case. Each year, we receive an intricate, fictional legal case from the American Mock Trial Association (www.collegemocktrial.org). This case is complete with affidavits, evidence, legal codes and case law. The Mock Trial team analyzes this information and creates a realistic legal case, both for the prosecution and for the defense.
Competition
The team presents this case against other universities across the country at intercollegiate mock trial tournaments. Members of the Mock Trial team in recent years has had the opportunity to travel to the University of Pennsylvania, Syracuse University and St. John’s University for the Invitational and Regional Tournaments. In the 2007-2008 season, our team qualified for the National Intercollegiate Tournament in Ohio, where we competed against the best mock trial teams in the country.
Accomplishments
FCLC Mock Trial is a highly competitive, nationally contending team. We earned two Intercollegiate Outstanding Attorney Awards in the 2007-2008 season and several witness awards in the 2006-2007 season, bringing our total to 14 individual awards in our team's history. However, we ensure that any student who proves themselves at tryouts will have ample opportunity to earn a significant role on the team. We are proud to say that nine students tried out and joined our team this past fall. We were very impressed and proud of our incoming class and their accomplishments this past year. We rely on creating a balance between returning members and new talent and we were excited to have established that dynamic this year.
Thinking About Law School?
Mock Trial provides the opportunity for students to gain an important foundation in the legal field. Members of the team will have the opportunity to learn actual case law and rules of evidence from our coaches. These skills are crucial for anyone interested and law school. There is no better example of that than the fact that a large percentage of our team go on to prominent law schools after graduating from FCLC. Fordham College Lincoln Center gives the Mock Trial Team an opportunity that few other campuses can give. Our proximity to the prestigious Fordham Law School, which is located in the adjacent building, allows us to work closely with coaches who have legal training. Each year, the team works under the guidance of our coach, a Fordham Law School graduate along with an assistant coach, with experience in the law, especially in Mock Trial or Trial Advocacy. Mock Trial is an excellent opportunity to learn about the legal field and build your resume for law school applications. FCLC Mock Trial gives an unmatched opportunity to bolster a law school application and prepare for a career in the legal field. Experience or prior knowledge about mock trial is not necessary to try out. Dedication and an eagerness to compete are all we ask of our members.
Interested in a Different Career?
A diverse membership, spanning all majors and areas of interest is encouraged on the Mock Trial Team. While essential for those students who want to pursue a legal career, Mock Trial is not limited to pre-law students only. Our roster has included students majoring in Political Science, History, Journalism, Theatre, Communications, Philosophy, Foreign Languages, Economics, Natural Sciences, English, Middle East Studies, and many more. Mock Trial provides students with the opportunity to make friends, network with people on and off campus, and to represent Fordham on a national level. Students will develop their public speaking skills and learn how to think critically about problems, approaching them from different angles. Not only lawyers benefit from the ability to make a strong argument. The art of being persuasive and effectively convincing are skills useful for future actors, business people, politicians, teachers, analysts and writers, as well lawyers. Whatever your interest, Mock Trial is a placeto develop yourself and learn valuable skills.
Join us
FCLC Mock Trial is rising quickly in talent and national prominence. We fully expect to capitalize and build on our success next season and we welcome any prospective members who want to join us. Our 2008-2009 season has come to a conclusion and we are actively recruiting members for next year. Mock Trial is an organization on campus that will provide new members with opportunity to be active and important. Our newly elected Deputy Captains are students that joined the team in September, working their way from tryouts to the team executive board in a single year. As an organization, we are proud of their accomplishments and development this year. They are a testament to any student interested in joining the team that incoming members are an integral part of who we are as a team. If you would like to be part of a nationally contending intercollegiate team, please consider trying out for Mock Trial next September. If you have any questions about what we do or simply would like to express interest in becoming part of our team, please feel free to e-mail me at Acer0327@aol.com.
Rob Whitbeck, FCLC Mock Trial Administrative Captain
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