Dartmouth Mock Trial Society may not have needed to contribute blood or sweat to perform at a tournament earlier this month, but member Chelsea Lim '16 shed a few tears in her role as a witness grieving the death of her husband. Lim's tearful act contributed to the team's eighth place finish at the Northeast Regional Mock Trial tournament and an open bid to move on to the Opening Round Championship Series in March.
Mock Trial Society president Andrea Baer '13 attributed the team's success after a dip in performance in 2011 and 2012 to an enthusiastic group of freshmen and a renewed sense of commitment. While usually the top seven teams at each regional tournament move on to the second round of the national competition, the top Dartmouth team was extended a wildcard, or open, bid after losing a tiebreaker for seventh place. A total of 28 teams from 14 universities competed at the tournament.
During the mock trial competition, six students from each university compete at a time, with one team representing the plaintiff and the other representing the defense. On each team, three of the students act as lawyers while the other three play witnesses.
In this year's case, "Andy Allen v. Neptune Underwater Expeditions," a woman sues a scuba vacation company after her husband dies under its care.
The team members' attendance at practice trials on Sundays and commitment to the club has increased this year, Baer said.
Club officers emphasized the time commitment from the start of the year because in the past, students dropped out right before competitions due to the heavy schedule.
This year's freshman class is especially motivated and excited about the competition, Baer said. The camaraderie among the club's executive board this year also contributes to the team's success.
"We all complement each other really well," Baer said. "If the officers don't get along, it's hard to get things done."
To prepare for the regional tournament, Dartmouth's two teams practiced twice a week for one to two hours and ran through two practice trials every Sunday. The teams also competed in an invitational at Brandeis University in the fall to train for the regional tournament.
The Mock Trial teams geared up for the competition by working with lawyers from the Upper Valley and faculty members with experience as attorneys.
Unlike many other college mock trial programs, Dartmouth's teams lack a coach.
The team benefits from its members' diverse backgrounds, vice president and qualifying team captain Ben Chuchla '13 said.
"What we've done really well this year is draw people from every major, every year and every background," he said. "I'd say maybe about only 25 percent of the team is heading to law school."
Treasurer and qualifying team member Courtney Kelly '15 said she looks forward to the heightened competition level at the national tournament.
"I've never been to a national mock trial tournament, so I'm sure the competition will be tough," she said. "I think we're also going to step it up a notch so it will be interesting to see how good our team can get."
The members of the qualifying mock trial team are Kelly, Chuchla, Lim, Claire Kim '13, Atul Vaidyanathan '14, Marina Shkuratov '15, Christina Gill '16, Benjamin Lin '13, Lauren Alarab '15 and Olivia Morrison '16.
Shkuratov is a member of The Dartmouth staff.
