The Richard Montgomery Mock Trial team are now the circuit champions after defeating Linganore High School from Frederick County. The victory comes after the team became the county champions by defeating the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy earlier this month in a close match of 53-50. As of now, the team is still waiting for the results from other circuit championship matches to determine who they will be facing for the regional championship.
The mock trial season first began in late fall, with a tryout process to induct new alternates onto the team, before the rigorous season began. Members, both alternates and those on the team, gave it their all when they prepared for their meetings. “Everyone was ready to start working hard from the day they got the case packet,” according to senior Jack Gramlich, one of the attorneys for the plaintiff team. Team members would begin by creating first drafts of their direct examinations, and in fact, got an earlier head start this year than last year. This allowed them to focus on solely developing and fleshing out the rest of their case and practicing before the first matches began.
Additionally, snow permitted them to develop their arguments before the season began. During a typical Mock Trial season, there are a total of four trials, two for the RM Plaintiff team and the other two for the Defense Team. As Gramlich stated, “It is really cool that within the RM team we have different people who focus on each side of the case. Within our own team, we can cross examine each other, for example, which allows us to be very well versed in our arguments and strategies before we ever even enter the courtroom.”
An interesting fact about the trials they partake in are that they are often presided over by a local attorney. At higher levels in playoffs, they are presided over by actual Maryland judges. This produces an interesting feel for those in the courtroom, as well as an exciting and tense atmosphere, where, as Gramlich stated, “the freedom and livelihood of defendants are subject to confiscation.” This significant aspect to the trial allows students to argue before a veritable legal professional.
If we look at their weekly Friday meetings, they each focus on a particular area that they would ameliorate on as a team. As Gramlich described, in the previous week, the defense team witnesses would respond to questions on cross examination. The mock trial coach and retired RM Government teacher, Mr. Evans, is also known as a seasoned Mock Trial coach and is able to pick out which aspects the team needs to work on as a whole. Members on the team work diligently each Friday with meetings lasting one or two hours. In addition, the team also holds other meetings, such as revising an opening argument on Skype or at a fast food restaurant.
On the team, a vast majority of new members spend their first year as an alternate, which Jack summed properly in one word: “awesome.” An Alternate works closely with an attorney-witness pair to assist in their preparation and learns how the process works to prepare for competing the following year.
Gramlich, who will be graduating this year, remarked, “I would say that this season has gone very well. From the very beginning [our alternates] have been very involved and I am confident they will all be excellent attorneys and witnesses in the near future. But, with the level of talent on this team it is always rewarding to come away from a trial knowing we have done a good job, regardless of whether or not we win.”
