On Wednesday, March 20, the Winsor School of Boston was named
state champion of the Massachusetts Bar Association's 2013 Mock
Trial Program. The finals were held at Faneuil Hall in Boston. This
is Winsor's second championship, the first coming in 2010.
The high school now advances to the National High School Mock
Trial Championship in Indianapolis, Ind., to be held May 9-11. A
portion of the trip will be funded by a donation from the MBA's
philanthropic partner, the Massachusetts Bar Foundation.
Winsor School and Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public
School competed during a two hour mock trial in Faneuil Hall's
Great Hall. Winsor defended Paula Breedy, who was charged with the
first degree murder of her great-aunt, Dana Liberson. Pioneer
Valley, as the prosecution, accused Breedy of killing Liberson
before her new will could strip Breedy of $4 million. Breedy was
alleged to have tampered with Liberson's heart medications, causing
an overdose.
Massachusetts Appeals Court Associate Justice Peter W. Agnes Jr.
presided over the mock trial and was assisted by Superior Court
Associate Justice John T. Lu and Superior Court Associate Justice
Kathe Tuttman.
"This was an inspiring performance," Agnes said of both teams,
whom he praised for their poise and ability to handle the
complicated evidence. "I don't think I've seen any law school mock
trial competition that was better than any performance I saw
today."
Agnes said Winsor was victorious in defending Breedy, who was
found not guilty. That win, however, did not mean Winsor would
automatically take the championship. The judges determined, by a
vote of two to one, that Winsor was the victor because it received
the higher score. The judges based their calculations on a number
of factors including presentation and knowledge of both the case
and law.
The MBA Mock Trial Program began its 28th year in January. The
competition places high school teams from 16 regions across the
state in simulated courtroom situations where they assume the roles
of lawyers, defendants and witnesses in hypothetical cases. More
than 130 teams from across the commonwealth competed in this year's
competition.
The Mock Trial Program is administered by the MBA, and made
possible by the international law firm of Brown Rudnick LLP through
its Center for the Public Interest in Boston, which has contributed
$25,000 each year to the program since 1998.