Theology teacher Barrett Laspesa has once again put together a mock trial team for Bishop Noll Institute.

Mock trial is a program where competing high schools work on a case. They prepare both sides, the prosecution and the defense, to argue in a real courtroom using all the Federal Rules of Evidence. These rules govern real court cases as well. Indiana’s interscholastic high school mock trial program has a very strong representation, as many schools in the Northwest Indiana area participate in multiple competitions.

“They prepare the opening arguments, direct questioning of witnesses, cross examination of witnesses, and deliver closing arguments,” said Laspesa, head of the mock trial team.

Competitions are often well-represented. The competition our school’s team plans on going to is the Hammond Regional on February 14th, 2015. This competition is a part of the official Indiana High School Mock Trial tournament.

“My hope is that we have at least two teams who are able to go to regional competitions,” said Laspesa, “However, my goal is to let students experience a ‘real’ trial in a real courtroom.”

The mock trial team was started a few years ago, and it generated a lot of interest. It is open to anyone who wants to join. The meetings will be spread throughout the school year, but there are no officially set dates for the meetings yet.

“We have a lot of great kids who have an interest in trial work and want to experience what trial lawyers do on a regular basis,” said Laspesa, “There is no better experience than to actually see first hand what trial lawyers do.”