A Mock Trial Team Competition

As my knees buckled, palms sweated and heart throbbed, I slowly made my way through a long twisting hallway and up to a big brown conference room door. “This is the place” I murmured to myself, “there’s no turning back.” I stared at the door and slowly read the unmistakable name in big bold letters, “Akin and Gump Law Firm.” Hesitantly, I opened the door of opportunity, ready to start a new chapter in my young life. Upon entering, I was greeted by the face of a stern looking lawyer who began firing questions at me about my knowledge of the United States government. Carefully answering each question with poise and composure, I began to see that the attorney was quite pleased with me. My journey had brought me to this particular law firm through the prestigious Mock Trial Team in my school which I had made by surviving a difficult interview and selection process. Now my team members and I had been assembled Growing up, I had always wanted to be a lawyer. When I was in the fifth grade, my class had attended a criminal trial in action. It was that feeling of being captivated and a sense of excitement that drew me in. I realized then what I had wanted to do for the rest of my life. Having the chance to be on my school’s Mock Trial Team would enable me to live up to my dreams.

The day of the big high school state tournament began in early April and as the day of the competition approached, I began to feel nervous. Our opponent for the first round of competition was a longtime rival of our school. They had beaten last years Mock Trial Team and knocked them out of the tournament. My friends and I on the team desperately wanted to beat them. In addition, to add to the intense pressure of the competition, faculty of the school’s administration would be attending the event and watching us under scrutiny. In the competition, I had been assigned the role of an important witness for the defense team. When the attorney on my team called my name, I calmly and collectively took the witness stand in the courtroom despite feeling an onerous burden being placed on me by the intense pressure. During my direct examination, the lawyer for the defense asked me a series of questions that I had to answer to the best of my ability.

Although my answers had been carefully rehearsed, I still had to act in character. Then came the more difficult challenge of facing the opposing lawyer for the plaintiff team. He immediately began firing questions at me, trying to get me to concede points to his side of the case and to score points with the judge. I however, was not going to cooperate with his plans. As each question tested my knowledge of the trial, I stood firmly and unwavering on my opinions concerning the trial. Flustered and enraged, the plaintiff lawyer returned to his table, clearly upset with me. I just managed a wry smile as it slowly crept up on the side of my face.

When the judge stood to give the results of the trial and announce the winning team, my fellow teammates and I rose in unison, holding our breath in anxiety, hoping that we would win and advance to the next round of competition. After a long period of anticipation and nervous tension, the judge finally declared that my team had been victorious. A sense of relief, pride, and joy overcame me. All my hard work and dedicated time I had put into the team became well worth the reward. My experience as a member of my schools’ Mock Trial team is something, which I shall never forget. I felt privileged to work with my fellow classmates and be part of a team. My obligations to my teammates and the hard work I put into this unique experience made it all the more rewarding. As I sit back and recall that memorable experience, I can only think of what a pleasure it was living up to my dreams.