University of Richmond Mock Trial Team Earns Bid to American Mock Trial Association National Tournament
March 13, 2006
A team of University of Richmond undergraduates has won a bid to the American Mock Trial Association’s national qualifying tournament March 17-19 at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn.
Three Richmond-sponsored teams competed Feb. 24-26 in AMTA’s Baltimore regional tournament against 21 other teams representing the University of Delaware, Elizabethtown College (Pa.), Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland-Baltimore County, University of Maryland at College Park, University of Pennsylvania and Washington and Lee University.
Two Richmond teams finished in the top 10 and won three individual honors. Lisa Crabtree, a junior from Warwick, R.I., captured a best attorney award. James Beach, a sophomore from Flemington, N.J., and David Assalone, a senior from Mahopac, N.Y., won best witness awards.
Joining Crabtree, Beach and Assalone in Minnesota will be: team captain Ken Abrams, a senior from Hillsborough, N.J.; Ashley Lerch, a senior from Downingtown, Pa.; Ashley O’Keefe, a sophomore from Louisa, Va.; Alicia Stump, a sophomore from Etters, Pa.; Michelle Swartz, a senior from Severna Park, Md.; and Joey Weber, a senior from Warrenton, Va.
AMTA competition gives undergraduates firsthand knowledge of work as a trial attorney, understanding of the judicial system, and highly developed critical thinking and communications skills.
At AMTA tournaments, a team twice represents each side—prosecution and defense—of a fictitious case. The team must give an opening statement, call and direct-examine three witnesses from its own team, cross-exam the other team's three witnesses and deliver a closing argument.
Each component of the trial is scored by two judges. At the end of a round, scores are tallied, and the team with the highest score wins. Teams are composed of three witnesses and three attorneys.