July 2004
Wisconsin Mock Trial Program brims with milestones
The Wisconsin Mock Trial tournament was not the same this year. New
feats were celebrated in the winners' circles. The Law-related Education
(LRE) Committee recognized two individuals responsible for the now
21-year old program's success. This year's case focused on a real murder
case.
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The Rhinelander High School Mock Trial team represented
Wisconsin at the national competition in May competing against 42 teams
from the United States and the Mariana Islands. The team came in second
in its 11th trip to nationals
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More than 273 attorneys and teachers volunteered their time and
expertise to coach 179 high school teams, and more than 615 judges
participated in the regional and state competitions. The Mock Trial
Program develops and tests critical thinking and public-speaking skills
while exposing students to a real-life trial situation. Hundreds of
Wisconsin lawyers, judges, and teachers volunteer annually in the State
Bar's High School Mock Trial tournament as a way of serving the
community by educating students about the legal process.
This year's case focused on the Annie Lemberger trial. The challenge
for the writers - volunteers from the LRE Committee and the legal and
educational communities - was to rewrite the case within tournament
guidelines while maintaining historical authenticity. In 1911, the body
of 7-year-old Lemberger was found floating in Lake Monona. After years
of legal wrangling and arguments over "who dunnit," the case is still
unresolved. The only difference now is that the case has been thoroughly
reexamined through the eyes of more than 1,700 high school students and
their coaches.
Rhinelander. When the Rhinelander team won the state
competition in March, competing against 14 teams, it earned the right to
represent Wisconsin at the national tournament. Forty-two teams from the
United States and the Mariana Islands made the trip to Florida for the
May competition. The Rhinelander team came in second, missing first
place by one point during the final round.
"When you consider that there are 4,600 schools nationwide competing
in this program, involving more than 80,000 students, being the national
runner-up feels pretty good!" says Rhinelander teacher coach Kathy
Vick-Martini.
This was Rhinelander's 11th trip to nationals under the direction of
attorneys Mike Bloom and Jim Jacobi, and Vick-Martini.
Wisconsin School for the Deaf (WSD). The WSD
advocated its way to a groundbreaking achievement, winning the regional
competition in its first-ever tournament. The WSD team is the first deaf
team to enter Wisconsin competition, and it is only the second time
nationally a deaf team has competed.
Attorney coach Michele LaVigne, a U.W. Law School professor, has
worked with the WSD mock trial team for six years. The first five years
were "in-house" with Court of Appeals Judge Richard Brown, who is also
deaf, presiding.
"Training for this competition was very different and challenged me
as much as the kids - maybe more," says LaVigne, expressing her
appreciation to the firm of Heller, Ehrmann, White & McAuliffe,
Madison, for a generous contribution and to firm associate Christopher
Hanewicz, who served as assistant coach. "I'm quite certain nobody
expected us to win. Even we were surprised at how good we were."
Awards. The Heffernan Award, established in 1995 by
the LRE Committee and named for enthusiastic program supporter former
Chief Justice Nathan S. Heffernan, was presented in March to attorney
John (Nick) Schweitzer, Madison, and teacher
William Rehnstrand, Superior, for their extraordinary
efforts to ensure the continued success of mock trial in Wisconsin.
Schweitzer, who prepared the case materials for the competition's first
eight years and the national case materials in 1992, has coached and
judged competitions at every level and provided leadership and guidance
to the case writing committee. Rehnstrand coached for 15 years and was
instrumental in starting the Wisconsin program.
The Wisconsin Law Foundation, the Legal Auxiliary of Wisconsin, the
Wisconsin Association of School Boards, individual attorneys, judges,
and citizens cosponsor the Mock Trial Program.
Members interested in participating in the 2005 program should
contact Dee Runaas at (800)
444-9404, ext. 6191, (608) 250-6191,
Inside the Bar
