By Tom Solberg, State Bar of Wisconsin Media Relations Coordinator

Nov 3, 2010 − Months of studying, practicing, fund-raising – and a last-minute pep-talk from State Bar of Wisconsin President-elect Jim Brennan – paid off for the eleven-member Green Bay East High School Mock Trial Team Oct. 15-17 at the Empire City Invitational Mock Trial Tournament in New York City.

The team went undefeated in four rounds of competition and ranked sixth overall at the annual event, which featured 30 teams from five countries this year – U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, and South Korea. Team members were also judged individually on a scale of one to ten, with anything above a seven considered “outstanding.” East’s teams received 67 scores of eight, 38 of nine, and eight perfect scores of ten, reports Coach Robert Howman.

Team members who competed in New York are: Nick Bauman-Martin, Jacob Brunette, Brady DeGroot, Nikki Fulfer, Ned LeFevre, Katherine Greatens, Riley Pazdera, Candice Powell, Mia Richards, Adam VanMatre and Corey Warren. Howman, who has also coached high school football, knows what it takes to succeed at this level of competition.

“The regular season for high school football is two months. Mock trial, on the other hand, is typically a five-month commitment. Preparation for the Empire Invitational added another four months,” said Howman, who also commented on the self-motivation aspect. “There are no pep rallies or pom-poms to cheer mock trial teams on to victory.”

Howman notes that while he didn’t bring any pom-poms, Jim Brennan brought some important perspective when he met with team members as they prepared to depart for the event.

Brennan reinforced the support they carried with them to New York from State Bar members across Wisconsin as he urged them to make the most of the exceptional educational opportunities the tournament offers.

Coach Howman praised the dedication of his team members, who spent many hours over the summer vacation preparing for a “very challenging case which the organizers say was written for college level competition.”

Unlike the state program, which features civil cases, the Empire City Invitational competition involved a murder case. Howman adds that the team had to absorb over 110 pages of materials (plus another 30 pages of exhibits) preparing for the event.

The coach also stresses that most students on the team come from challenging backgrounds and that they benefitted greatly from the generosity of area attorneys, who provided both material and professional support.

All Empire State Invitational trials were held in the courtrooms of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn. The Empire state is not a part of the annual Wisconsin High School Mock Trial Program sponsored by the State Bar since 1983.

But Howman points out that the tournament offers a unique opportunity for team members to prepare themselves for the state and national mock trial competition, which gets underway with regional tournaments at various locations throughout the state on February 12, 2011.

Last year, more than 1,800 public and private school students from all over Wisconsin participated in the state mock trial tournament program. The 2011 state finals are scheduled for March 14 in Madison and the national championship will be in Phoenix, Ariz., on May 7-9.

About 100 high school teams compete annually in the state competition, which is also supported by the Wisconsin Law Foundation. The teams of six to 12 high school students follow the rules and structure of a real court trial to gain unique insights into the justice system.

They argue a case before three-person panels of judges, composed of volunteer attorneys and judges, except for the state finals, which is presented to Wisconsin Supreme Court Justices. The Justices judge the final state-level competition. Coach Howman proudly noted that every past mock trial team member from East has gone on to college.

“Not every student at East has a home. Some wear the same clothes every day. Many scrounge for something to eat. A preoccupation with day-to-day survival does not allow much room for dreams,” he explained. “Mock Trial does so much more than introduce students to the legal system. For my kids, this co-curricular is a journey. Each step reveals another pathway toward personal growth and development. Students gain invaluable insight about themselves – their interests, abilities and skills. Equipped with that knowledge, opportunities become clear and my students find the courage to dream as well as the determination to make their dreams a reality.”

In addition to a teacher-coach, each team is assisted by one or more attorney-coaches. The Green Bay East High School team benefits from the input of four area attorneys: ADA Beau Liegeois and attorneys Colleen Nordin, Elizabeth Kremer and Randall Gast.

Additional information about how you can contribute to the success of the Mock Trial program and other law-related education activities sponsored by the State Bar of Wisconsin can be found on www.wisbar.org/lre.