For the first time in school history, one of Dartmouth's Mock Trial Society teams broke into the top 10 in the Main Division of the American Mock Trial Association National College Championships earlier this month in Des Moines, Iowa.
Team Silver -- led by attorneys David Rhinesmith '05, Sean Miller '05 and Victoria Corder '05 -- concluded the three-day tournament with a composite record of five wins and three losses in eight rounds, placing tenth out of the sixty-four teams that attended the tournament.
The same team placed eleventh in last year's National Championships, just missing the coveted top-10 status. This year the team got off to a rocky start, losing both ballots in the first round to the University of Chicago team, casting doubts on whether it would be able to beat the previous year's record, but a strong showing in the last matches garnered the team its record-breaking place.
"Placing in the top 10 was a great accomplishment," Rhinesmith said. "We represented well for the teams that have come before us and established a solid foundation for next year."
"We weren't sure it was going to be possible," Jessica Taub '08, who performed as a witness in the trials, added.
During the competition, the team argued a civil case involving a negligence suit brought by a college student suing a mental hospital. The student sued the hospital for damages after allegedly being attacked by an unstable patient the hospital had deemed fit for release.
In order for the hospital to be proven negligent, the team needed to address issues such as the hospital's choice to release the patient, the relationship between the attack and the patient's disorder and what losses the student's claim warranted.
The competition highlights included a third-round tie with returning championship contender Drake University, whose former law school dean Richard M. Calkins '53 created college mock trial. Dartmouth went on to win against Drake during the fourth round of the tournament.
"We proved that Dartmouth has one of the nation's top programs," Rhinesmith said.
Michael Ellis '06, who plays the role of witness in the trials, received an individual award for his performance.
Team Silver competitors included Rhinesmith, Corder, Miller, Ellis, Taub and Terri-Anne Segovia '05.
