Courtroom Drama

As attorneys file out of the Ventura County Hall of Justice tonight, about 400 high school students will arrive, dressed in sharp-looking suits and carrying their own briefcases.

After months of preparation, the would-be lawyers from 16 schools will face off in the 17th annual mock trial competition. In front of real Superior Court judges, the students will argue a make-believe court case and portray the entire cast of courtroom characters: prosecutors, defense attorneys, witnesses, clerks, bailiffs and courtroom artists.

In this year’s invented case, “People v. Rose,” fictional high school student Sam Rose stands trial on charges of poisoning a drink, assault with a deadly weapon and drug possession after he allegedly slipped the drug Rohypnol into the drinks of two classmates, Cory Jones and Rene Guerrero. All three students were at a hazing party for their unauthorized social fraternity, Sigma Zeta Zeta Pi.

Teachers and local attorneys who coach the teams say the mock trial boosts students’ self-confidence and strengthens their critical thinking, debate and research skills. But the competition also teaches them a few lessons about the legal system.

The students get a crash course in the law, the Constitution and criminal justice, coaches say. They start using words like “objection” and “hearsay” in everyday conversation. And they learn how to follow courtroom practices and procedures.

“If they do their job right, they are nothing like real lawyers, they’re better,” said August Brescia, one of three criminal defense lawyers coaching Oxnard High School’s team. “They’re a notch above how real lawyers are in the courtroom.”

After placing second in last year’s mock trial competition, Oxnard High is hoping this time to outperform and dethrone the defending county champ, La Reina High School.

“I feel confident they can do it,” Brescia said. “These kids have put in an incredible amount of work, time and effort. They’ve all gone above and beyond, and have the right to be proud of what they’ve done.”

The atmosphere in each of the courtrooms during mock trial is tense. Parents nervously tap their fingers, coaches hang on every word, and teammates bite their fingernails.

Meanwhile, the would-be attorneys and witnesses are professional and polished.

At the conclusion of the make-believe criminal trials, Superior Court judges determine guilt or innocence, but the verdict does not affect the results of the competition. Rather, the students are scored on their courtroom skills and the persuasiveness of their arguments.

This year, the pressure is on for the powerhouse team from La Reina High, an all-girls private school in Thousand Oaks. The team has won the county competition seven out the last 10 years, and last year they went on to place 12th in the state finals.

“Everybody expects a lot out of La Reina,” said team captain Kelly Drew, 17, who has been on the mock trial team since she was a freshman. “But that has just forced us to put in our extra effort and to work really hard to maintain our position as champions.”

La Reina’s students squeezed in a practice last Thursday afternoon, when they sat in a circle questioning a witnesses. Mary Abler, a tall and poised senior, played the defendant, Sam Rose. One of the attorneys asked her, “Ms. Rose, did you place Rohypnol in the steins of Cory Jones and Rene Guerrero?”

She responded, sincerely and emphatically. “No, I did not.” Then, in a much sweeter voice, “I could never harm another person, let alone poison them and possibly kill them.”

Students throughout Ventura County have been preparing for months for the contest. They have analyzed and reanalyzed the case, written opening and closing statements, examined diagrams and grilled witnesses.

Abler, who has been competing in the mock trial for four years, said she and her teammates have practiced several hours a week since the beginning of the school year. “It’s been completely worth it,” she said. “If you want the results, you have to put in the time.”

Inevitably, many of the students consider careers in law after the contest.

“This is a great starting point for any student who has any ambition of becoming a lawyer,” said Briana Quinn, a sophomore at Thousand Oaks High School, who wants to go to law school. “I have learned so much about how the legal system works.”

Quinn said the hands-on experience with the law has taught her more than she would have learned out of a book. Quinn said she has also enjoyed the acting. “I’ve had a good time putting on a show,” she said.

Jody C. Moore competed in mock trial at Santa Paula High School from 1987 to 1990, and said her experience inspired her to go to law school. Now working as a private civil attorney, she coaches Santa Paula’s team.

“It has been an incredibly awesome opportunity to be able to come full circle and be a mentor to these students,” she said.

After a second night of competition this Thursday, the top four teams will compete in the finals next Monday at 5:15 p.m. The county’s winning team will compete in the state contest on March 31-April 2 in Sacramento.

The competition is sponsored by the Ventura County superintendent of schools office and the Constitutional Rights Foundation, a group dedicated to teaching young people about the Bill of Rights.

Past Winners High schools participating in this year’s Ventura County Mock Trial competition include Buena, Agoura, Camarillo, Channel Islands, Fillmore, Hueneme, La Reina, Newbury Park, Oxnard, Rio Mesa, Royal, Santa Paula, Santa Susana, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and Westlake high schools.

Winners in recent years:

1999: La Reina High School

1998: Westlake High School

1997: La Reina High School

1996: La Reina High School

1995: La Reina High School

1994: La Reina High School

1993: Thousand Oaks High School

1992: Thousand Oaks High School

1991: La Reina High School

1990: La Reina High School

1989: Camarillo High School

1988: Thousand Oaks High School

1987: Thousand Oaks High School

1986: Thousand Oaks High School

Source: Ventura County superintendent of schools office