Ali Schulz
Editor-in-Chief
Photo provided by Max Giordano
Mock Trial took home a win when it, in its first-ever competition on Jan. 16, defeated St. Louis University High by a unanimous vote after months of practice.
The team was recently created by junior Cassie Fisher. She started the team after she did a law program at Yale last year that included a mock trial.
“I thought it was fun but also informative and decided I would like to start something similar up at Webster,” Fisher said.
To create the team, Fisher first had to find a sponsor.
“At first I was thinking a social studies teacher, but then I brought it up to my Latin teacher, [Jeff] Smith, and he said he was willing to sponsor us,” Fisher said.
Then, Fisher turned towards recruiting members. She recruited her friend junior Ruby Toro, who in turn helped find others. Fisher then went to the Webster Groves High School activities fair where she had an informative sign and candy to hand out.
“That’s where I recruited a lot of our members and some freshmen,” Fisher said.
Max Giordano, freshman, is one of the members recruited by Fisher. About his recruitment, Giordano said the team dynamic is incredible, and he is “so glad this program was created at the beginning of the school year.”
Finally, after the team had enough members, they needed to get a mentor. That is where lawyer Matthew Floyd’s name came up. Floyd, originally from Michigan, moved to St. Louis in the 1990s. He attended Washington University as an undergraduate and law school student. On why he decided to stay, Floyd said “I really liked the sports and the venues, so I figured just, I’d like to stick around.”
Floyd is an experienced lawyer, having been in practice for 20 years and owning his own law firm, currently in Olivette, for around 15 years. He deals with a lot of litigation and is “in court maybe three or four times a week,” Floyd added.
In his free time, Floyd has judged a few mock trial tournaments himself and wanted an opportunity to teach a mock trial team himself. He was told by a colleague about Webster’s search for a coach, and he immediately took up the opportunity to help the students.
“I have not regretted it one moment,” Floyd said of his experience since he started coaching.
“These kids are absolutely incredible. They are brilliant. They inspire me,” Floyd added.
So, after the mock trial team had members, a sponsor, and a coach, they got to work. The team was given a case, and in December they figured out who they were playing in rounds one and two, along with what side of the case they would be arguing in each competition.
To prepare, they not only have to do a deep dive into the case, but they also have to practice their presentation repeatedly, committing to around five to seven hours of practice a week.
In addition, the team has done dress rehearsals, which is where they “set up the Frick Theater to look like a courtroom and just run through our entire case,” Fisher said.
These practices set the team up for the actual competitions, which tend to last around two hours. At the trial, the team goes to a real-life courtroom where they impersonate the lawyers and witnesses.
There, “there are two jury members who score us on everything we do. There is also a judge who makes a verdict on who they believe has won,” Fisher said.
When the team won against St. Louis University High School, the two jurors and the judges both ruled in favor of Webster.
In addition, on Feb. 13, the team beat Francis Howell North by a vote of 2-1.
“It’s amazing to see how they’re able to pull it all together, and they’re able to do it at such a young age,” Floyd said of the team’s performance.
To join the mock trial team, one can contact Fisher or Smith, whose classroom is in the language hallway.
“If you like law and like to argue, you should come see me,” Fisher concluded.
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Ali Schulz- Editor-in-ChiefThis will be Ali Schulz’s third year on ECHO Staff. She also made several contributions while taking journalism class her freshman year. She was opinion/news editor her first year on staff |
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