Students Gain Self-Confidence and an Interest in the Law through Mock Trial Club

When Ossining High School senior Hannah Purdy joined the Mock Trial Club, she was “obsessed” with “Legally Blonde,” a movie in which an unlikely law school candidate finds success at Harvard University.

That was two years ago. She will head to Stony Brook University next year, where she plans to major in political science and take other courses in preparation for law school.

“I joined the club my sophomore year and originally my goal was to be like Elle Woods,” she said of the movie’s protagonist. “Over time, I ended up actually developing a real interest in law and becoming an attorney.”

Hannah and the 13 other students in the Mock Trial Club this year spent several months reading the civil case created by New York State Bar Association lawyers and strategizing on how they would present it in the association’s High School Mock Trial Competition. All teams in the state received the same case involving someone who sought monetary damages after a robbery conviction was overturned. They had to know about 130 pages of testimony, exhibits, motions, rules and other information inside and out.

After receiving the materials late last year, club members practiced Tuesdays and Thursdays for two hours and did additional work at home. The competitions began in February. OHS lost in the third round on March 16. Last year, the team went to the semifinals.

“They still held their own at different parts of the competition, and that gives you a boost of confidence,” said Katie Mannarino, who advises the club along with fellow social studies teacher Gregg Ninos.

Students who have been in the club for a few years said they started out very nervous and timid but became more self-assured.

Senior Mia Weeks, acting as an attorney this year, said she remembers her first time in mock court as a sophomore. She was nervous and shaking as she asked questions. “Throughout the years I’ve gotten much more confident and relaxed,” she said. “Once you do it, you just feel so proud of yourself. It gets not as scary and more fun.”

Mr. Ninos said the experience requires students to use “higher level thinking skills.”

“It’s like a chess match where they have to keep ahead of their opponent – two steps ahead, knowing what’s going to be said and asking the questions to get the witnesses to say that,” he said. “Two of the other things that I really enjoy are just seeing their grace under pressure and their poise.”

Ms. Mannarino said students prepare extensively for the mock trials, but anything can happen during the competition. “They might have questions drafted, but once you get into a courtroom, you don’t know what the other side’s going to do, so they have to learn to think on their feet,” she said.

Evan Janush, the managing attorney at the New York office of the Lanier Law Firm, has been the club’s adviser for four years. He attends one or both sessions each week during the few months when students practice for the competition. Sophomore Emily Janush, his daughter, joined the club this year.

“I love the ability to impact high school students at this level and impart some of my own professional experience on these students, some of whom may one day go on to a career in law,” Mr. Janush said. “I take my role as a mentor very seriously and expect a lot out of these students in return.”

Attorney Janush said he is more impressed each year with the students’ commitment to the club and to achieving excellence, especially given that many participate in other extracurricular activities and sports in addition to their coursework.

“It isn’t easy to learn the fact pattern, the rules of evidence and the rules of trial procedure and to develop the type of poise and command that is required to participate at a high level in the competition while also being a student,” said Mr. Janush, who also commended the teachers for their knowledge and “relatability” to students.

Being in a courtroom was a new experience for sophomore Katelin Horrigan, who acted as a witness. “At first I was kind of confused as to how anything went. I took a civil law class, so I understood basically how a courtroom is set up, but I didn’t understand what the room would look like or how it would feel to go up there,” she said. “It’s dead silent. It’s only your voice that’s speaking.”

The experience takes skill and acting ability, and it appeals to students’ competitive nature. Hannah said OHS team members would try to psych out the competition while waiting for their trial. “As all the individual teams come in, you just stare into each individual’s soul and you’re like, ‘OK who’s the one I’m going to beat today?’” she said. “We’re known for being a little scary.”

(Photo: front row, left to right: Kate Minzheimer, Yuki Komura, Alessandra Solari, Gabriela Rama, Jackie Mundadan, Emily Janush; standing, left to right: Katelin Horrigan, Mia Weeks, Dina Barossi, Cynthia Keavney, Nicole Gomez, Hannah Purdy, Olivia Lenaghan, Jazmin Dago.)