This is the second post in a series about the Washington Irving High School Mock Trial team. Please click here to see the first post.
Each season begins with the coaches. Before students return to school, the coaches begin to plan the mock trial season.
When the coaches meet for the first time, they first discuss the need to recruit more coaches. Then they discuss the need to recruit more students. The program would not be able to exist without people, after all. More on this later.
There are several Mock Trial coaches: Yana and Manoj are both third year associates, and both started coaching the team together when they started at Cleary. Shiwon is a fifth year associate who also started coaching when he first joined Cleary. Leza is a first year associate. I also coach the team. I am the only non-lawyer, and have coached for four years.
Before the coaches meet with students for the first time, we discuss what we will do differently to improve upon the year before. At this meeting, we write out a list of topics we feel are necessary to teach the students, and determine the dates we will teach each topic. The coaches then make lesson plans for each of these topics. The lessons we planned to teach this year were the rules of evidence, objections (and responses to objections), opening and closing statements, and direct and cross examinations. We also chose a practice case for the students to prepare for during the preseason.
Once we have our game plan, we start meeting with the students. Our preseason starts in the beginning of November. This is when the coaches start to teach the planned lessons, and this is when the students start preparing for their practice trial. Practices are held every Wednesday and Friday from 3:00 to 6:00 PM during the preseason.
Our regular season begins each December after Manoj and I visit the New York State Bar Association to receive the new case. This is always a highly anticipated moment, and especially so this year. Last year’s case on securities fraud elicited several rounds of angry emails between the coaches, and generated general frustration throughout the year.
Once we receive the new case, the preseason ends, and we start preparing the team for the competition. In January, February and March, the team meets each Saturday from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM, in addition to the two other practices each week.
Click Here for Part 3
Each season begins with the coaches. Before students return to school, the coaches begin to plan the mock trial season.
When the coaches meet for the first time, they first discuss the need to recruit more coaches. Then they discuss the need to recruit more students. The program would not be able to exist without people, after all. More on this later.
There are several Mock Trial coaches: Yana and Manoj are both third year associates, and both started coaching the team together when they started at Cleary. Shiwon is a fifth year associate who also started coaching when he first joined Cleary. Leza is a first year associate. I also coach the team. I am the only non-lawyer, and have coached for four years.
Before the coaches meet with students for the first time, we discuss what we will do differently to improve upon the year before. At this meeting, we write out a list of topics we feel are necessary to teach the students, and determine the dates we will teach each topic. The coaches then make lesson plans for each of these topics. The lessons we planned to teach this year were the rules of evidence, objections (and responses to objections), opening and closing statements, and direct and cross examinations. We also chose a practice case for the students to prepare for during the preseason.
Once we have our game plan, we start meeting with the students. Our preseason starts in the beginning of November. This is when the coaches start to teach the planned lessons, and this is when the students start preparing for their practice trial. Practices are held every Wednesday and Friday from 3:00 to 6:00 PM during the preseason.
Our regular season begins each December after Manoj and I visit the New York State Bar Association to receive the new case. This is always a highly anticipated moment, and especially so this year. Last year’s case on securities fraud elicited several rounds of angry emails between the coaches, and generated general frustration throughout the year.
Shiwon: "Can you believe they have to learn about pyramid schemes?"
Manoj: "Not just pyramid schemes, they have to learn about trade derivatives.'
Yana: "Why can't we just have a plain old murder case?"
Once we receive the new case, the preseason ends, and we start preparing the team for the competition. In January, February and March, the team meets each Saturday from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM, in addition to the two other practices each week.
Click Here for Part 3
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