• Hints on How to for Prepare for a Mock Trial
• Strategies for Teaching about Mock Trial Procedures
• Guidelines for Teachers
• Suggestions for Teacher Coaches
• Suggestions for Attorney Coaches
• Suggestions for Student Attorneys
• Suggestions for Student Witnesses
• How to Make the Most of Your Oral Presentation
• Courtroom Behavior
• Some of the Things Most Difficult for Team Members to Master

Guidelines for Teachers

A. ROLE OF THE TEACHER

The teacher coach is expected to help the team members decide which students will play which parts in the mock trial, and to assist the students in playing those roles.

As part of the sizeable responsibility of acting as teach coaches, teachers are responsible for the following areas:

1. Rules of the Program All teachers and teams are expected to adhere to the rules, facts, law and all other materials provided in the Mock Trial Competition Case Materials. Please read the rules before doing anything else.
2. Role Assignments Team members should be strongly encouraged to select roles based on their interests and abilities, not on the basis of any gender or cultural stereotypes which might be drawn from the characterizations in the fact pattern. Note that witnesses may be played by males or females.
3. Team Preparation Attorneys also will help coach each team. Teams should prepare both sides of the case and are strongly urged to arrange and conduct preliminary mock trials prior to meeting another school in the competition.
   
   Mock trials only require one attorney to act as the presiding judge Your attorney coach may be able to help you obtain use of a courtroom, but classrooms or other facilities may also be used.
4. Education Education of students is the primary goal of the Mock Trial Competition. Healthy competition helps to achieve this goal. However, teachers are reminded of their responsibility to keep the competitive spirit at a reasonable level. The reality of the adversary system is that one party wins and the other loses, and teacher should be sure to prepare their teams to be ready to accept either outcome in a mature manner. Teachers can help prepare students for either outcome by placing the highest value on excellent preparation and presentation, rather that winning or losing the trial.
5. Observers Other classes, parents, and friends of the participants are welcome at attend the trials, but keep in mind that many courts have limited seating available and may have capacity issues.
6. Arrival times Teachers are responsible for getting their teams to the assigned courtroom 15 minutes prior to the starting time of the trial.