ACADEMY OF TRIAL LAWYERS MOCK TRIAL COMPETITION

Academy 45th Annual Mock Trial Competition
United States Federal Courthouse

Pittsburgh, PA

This year's Competition involves sixteen law schools for the third time in the history of the competition.  Six of the seven Pennsylvania law schools will participate, and there are ten additional law schools from the mid-Atlantic region. 

The Competition has become one of the most prestigious advocacy competitions because of two unique features. One is the involvement of the Federal District Court Judges of the Western District of Pennsylvania, who host the Competition in their individual courtrooms.  The other is with the cooperation of the Allegheny County Medical Society, each competing team is paired with a physician who participates as that team’s expert witness. Every team competing is afforded the unique opportunity to direct and cross examine actual medical experts as part of the experience.

The Competition originated in 1962 as a friendly competition between the two area law schools, Duquesne University and the University of Pittsburgh. Today, the Competition has flourished to include law schools from the east coast and midwest regions.

The  Competition includes the participation of over 300 volunteers including Academy members, federal judges, physicians, paralegals, court reporters, and local business students who sit as jurors. The Competition, in the words of a former participant, “offers a seamless transition from classroom to courtroom”.

For more information about the 2008 Competition scheduled from Wednesday, February 20 - 22, 2008, please contact the Academy of Trial Lawyers at 412-343-9266 or by email at academy@atlac.org