Fort Mill middle school Mock Trial teams head to state championship

Students at two Fort Mill middle schools are headed to Columbia to put their knowledge of the law to the test.

On Nov. 4, Fort Mill Middle School’s Mock Trial team won the South Carolina Bar Greenville Regional Middle School Mock Trial Competition. The regional competition was held in the Greenville County Courthouse.

Pleasant Knoll Middle School’s team received the next highest score during the regional competition and was named a wild card team.

The middle school students will compete Dec. 1 and Dec. 2 in the S.C. Bar State Middle School Mock Trial Competition at the Richland County Central Court in the Decker Center in Columbia.

One winning team from five competing regions and seven wild card teams have advanced to the state competition.

Students from 12 middle schools will argue a fictitious civil case in a made up jurisdiction. The case is Landry Lamar v. Bobbie’s Burgers, LLC, in which Lamar sues the burger restaurant for unlawful whistleblower retaliation under East Carolina law, a release states.

Teams of students will present the prosecution and defense sides of the case. Students will act as attorneys, witnesses, bailiffs and timekeepers.

Each team will be judged on its presentation skills.

Mock trials provide a hands-on learning experience for students to understand due process, according to the South Carolina Bar.

“The goal of Mock Trial is to educate students about the basis of our American judicial system and the mechanics of litigation,” the S.C. Bar states on its website. “Through participation in the Mock Trial program, students will increase basic skills such as listening, speaking, writing, reading, critical thinking and problem analysis.”

This story was originally published November 12, 2017 at 6:51 PM with the headline "Fort Mill middle school Mock Trial teams head to state championship."