Definition of a mock trial

Time limits may vary per state, and the timekeeper is responsible for keeping track of time. The only time the clock stops is for an objection. The judge may then choose to overrule it, sustain it, or ask opposing counsel to defend their objected act. Since there is no time limit on objections, these battles could technically go on for hours before the judge finally makes a call.

As you can probably tell, this is intense and structured competition. Students often prepare for Mock Trial competitions months in advance, and yet they will still need to improvise and be quick thinkers for certain parts of the competition like the cross-examination.

Thus, Mock Trial is great at developing hard memorization skills, improvisation techniques, and general comfort with public speaking. There is a lot to be learned here but a lot of hard work involved as well. Schools who have developed teams may have their own selection process for who gets to compete, but in general, anyone can try it. So if you have a genuine interest in learning what it is like to be in a courtroom setting, form intelligent and persuasive arguments, work with a team, and develop great public speaking skills, you should absolutely try it.

The trial may have varying degrees of realism, ranging from being held in a courtroom with a real judge to being conducted informally in a classroom with a student acting as the judge. In legal research, the purpose of a mock jury is to create a focus group which lawyers can use to explore the dynamics of juries, and to see the way in which juries will respond to their case.

Cases can be argued in a number of ways, and sometimes it helps to test out arguments and approaches with a jury, to see how ordinary people might respond to the case. In this case, the mock jury would usually hear an abbreviated version of a trial, which may consist only of primary arguments, with no presentation of evidence, and then the jury deliberates and returns a verdict. Mock jury research can be expensive, but very useful for committed lawyers. American fashion designers aped their European colleagues mock usually implies imitation with derision.

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mock. Send us feedback. See more words from the same century. Accessed 14 Jan. English Language Learners Definition of mock Entry 2 of 3.

English Language Learners Definition of mock Entry 3 of 3. See the full definition for mock in the English Language Learners Dictionary. Nglish: Translation of mock for Spanish Speakers.

Britannica English: Translation of mock for Arabic Speakers. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Log in Sign Up. Save Word. Moot court is a simulation of trial at the appellate level — i. It is fundamentally different from mock trial in many ways, most obviously that there are no witnesses and no jury. Please enter the following code:. Login: Forgot password?