Mock Trial Returns To Rockland

From the Rockland County Bar Association: High School Mock Trial local tournaments will return to Rockland County next week, beginning March 12 with the first of two preliminary rounds.

The second preliminary round will be March 26, a semifinal round will take place on April 9 and the final round will be April 19. The preliminary and semifinal rounds will take place at 5:00PM in the Town of Clarkstown Justice Court. The final round will be held at 5:15PM at the Rockland County Courthouse.

Mock Trial tournaments in Rockland County are sponsored by the Rockland County Bar Association, in collaboration with participating local high schools. They are a part of the New York Statewide High School Mock Trial Competition program sponsored by the New York State Bar Association.

Participating high schools this year will be: Albertus Magnus High School, Clarkstown High School North, Clarkstown High School South, North Rockland High School and Nyack High School.

Students who participate on their school's team enjoy the challenge and exhilaration of competition. Students learn about the U.S. Constitution, the rule of law, and the role of the prosecution and the defense in a real trial. Stephanie Costa, Social Studies Teacher and Faculty Coach from Clarkstown High School South says about the program: “Mock Trial is a unique experience for high school students regardless of whether or not a student wants to pursue a career in law. Students learn to work collaboratively, be personable, respect authority and...reflect on their rhetoric and demeanor... The students who participate...graduate ready to take on any discipline they pursue in higher education. It is truly amazing...to witness the success of students.”

Rockland County Bar Association attorneys volunteer their time to coach the high school teams and local Attorneys and sitting Judges score the teams and preside at the court hearings. Brandon W. Rothstein, an attorney at Kantrowitz, Goldhamer & Graifman, P.C., and Attorney Advisor for the Nyack team says of the program: “This experience has truly been life-changing. To work with such a wonderful group of young adults and watch them wrestle with complicated topics and legal skills that lawyers study for years to master is truly inspiring.”

The winner of the final Rockland round will participate in the Regional Tournaments, and the winner of that tournament goes on to the Statewide Finals. “I really enjoy Mock Trial,” said Ryan Silverstein, a Senior at Albertus Magnus High School and Co-Captain of the Albertus Magnus Team, “because it really helps people my age learn about the law and helps make us better people in general. The lawyers who helped us were terrific; we are lucky to learn from their intelligence and experience.”

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