The Michigan High School Mock Trial Tournament is once again underway thanks to funding support to the Michigan Center for Civic Education from the Oakland County Bar Foundation. The OCBF recently presented a $5,000 check to the center to support the 2015-2016 Michigan High School Mock Trial Tournament.
Kaveh Kashef, OCBF vice president, stated that the foundation is pleased to continue the support of this important program for the 13th consecutive year. “We acknowledge the great opportunity this program presents to the high school students. The foundation receives great feedback from the program and many of our attorneys who take part in it feel it is an invaluable experience.”
“The MHSMTT could not exist without the support and involvement of lawyers,” added Linda Start, executive director of the center. “Lawyers tell us that they get more than a return on their investment of time. One volunteer recently remarked ‘I was truly impressed with the performance of all of the students I observed, and think that the program as a whole is providing a great service to high school aged students, and a wonderful opportunity for practitioners to interface with young people in the community.’”
The Oakland County regional tournament in Pontiac continues to be the largest, with 24 teams scheduled to compete on February 27 at the Oakland County Circuit Courthouse. A regional tournaments was held in Washtenaw County (February 20) and tournaments in Kent County and Macomb County are scheduled for March 5. The top ten teams will advance to the state finals in Lansing on March 19. The winning Michigan team is eligible to compete in the National Mock Trial Championship scheduled for May 12-14 in Boise, Idaho.
The Michigan Center for Civic Education has conducted the Michigan High School Mock Trial Tournament since the early 1980s. The program is designed to re-enact what takes place in a trial court. Students take on the roles of attorneys and witnesses and compete against other high school teams in real courtrooms in front of real judges and lawyers. Funding is also provided by the State Bar of Michigan and the Litigation Section of the State Bar of Michigan.
The OCBF is a local 501 (C)3 that supports legal aid and legal education in Oakland County. Since 2002, the it has granted over 1.7 million dollars to worthy non-profits in the county.
To learn more about the OCBF, visit www.ocba.org/barfoundation.id.19.htm.
The Michigan Center for Civic Education is a non-partisan 501(C) 3 corporation, established in 1982 as Michigan’s premier organization solely dedicated to preparing an active and informed citizenry through law-related and civic education. The center offers programs for teachers, students and members of the community that reflect best practices in civic and law-related education and provide experiences that are relevant, rigorous, and connected to real life.
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