Registration must be by email to
Jennifer.Miller @wmitchell.edu
and must include your name, address, phone number, and email address. Registration will be based on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration begins Friday, October 13, and ends at midnight, Wednesday, October 25, 2006 (this has been extended). After thirty-six people have registered, a waiting list will be prepared.
Competition packets will be available upon registration in the Legal Practice Center, room 254. Packets must be picked up no later than 4:00 p.m., Monday, October 23, 2006. If the packets are not picked by the person registered for the competition by 4:00 p.m., the person’s place will be given to a person on the waiting list.
The Mitchell Trial Competition is designed to select the eight people who will represent the college in regional trial competition the spring of 2007.
Competitors must have completed the Advocacy course before fall semester 2006, and must graduate in the spring of 2007 or later.
The trial competition will be limited to thirty-six participants. There will be four trials on Saturday, November 18, 2006. Each trial will have one lawyer on each side. Lunch will be provided for competitors, witnesses and judges.
There will be four trials on November 18. At the conclusion eight students will be selected to compete for the college in regional competition. Two winners will be selected from the eight students.
The two winners will receive certificates indicating they were finalists, $50 to be used at the William Mitchell College of Law bookstore and a bottle of moderately priced champagne.
The six remaining students will receive certificates and $25 to be used at the William Mitchell College of Law bookstore.
The trial competition will be limited to thirty-six participants. There will be four trials on Saturday, November 18, 2006. Each trial will have one lawyer on each side.
Competitors will compete in four trials. The competitors will each try the case from both sides.
Witnesses must be prepared to play the main witness for each side.
Participants must arrive at the law school at 8:30 a.m. to register. Each trial will last one hour. The trials will begin at 9:00 a.m.
Trial A 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Trial B 10:30 a.m. – noon
Lunch noon– 12:30 p.m.
Trial C 12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Trial D 2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
The competition will be scored on the scoring sheet provided in the competition packet. There will be three judges at each trial. (Should it happen that only two judges are available, the judges’ scores will be averaged to provide a third score.)
In addition to the general criteria, there are two additional criteria. A competitor may receive up to five bonus points for outstanding work, and may be deducted up to ten points for inappropriate behavior on the part of the attorney or the witness; such as obstructionist objections of the attorney, obstructionist witnesses, inappropriate expansion of the facts, and other inappropriate attorney or witness behavior.