Mogul Judges Mock Trial Competition
On November 3, 2024, attorney Steven Mogul, of Gross, Minsky & Mogul, P.A. spent his Saturday morning serving as a Presiding Judge of the 2024 State of Maine High School Mock Trial Competition. This has become an annual pleasure for Steven, having served both as presiding judge and as an evaluator for many years.
“In all the years I’ve been involved with the Mock Trial Competition, I have never been disappointed it the quality of the presentations. The students are very well prepared and I expect that some of them will be practicing law seven or eight years from now, hopefully right here in Maine.”
The program is part of the National High School Mock Trial Championship, and in Maine is administered by the Maine High School Mock Trial Program, Inc., a non-profit corporation headquartered in Downtown Bangor. High schools around the state have mock trial programs. Each team has a teacher and an attorney-coach. Trials are held at the Penobscot Judicial Center in Bangor, and at the Your County Judicial Center in Biddeford. Family and friends always encouraged to attend.
According to attorney Mogul, “Mock Trial teaches many skills that are important whether in the practice of law or just as part of life. These include analytical skills, public speaking and the ability to think quickly on your feet. It also gives the students a greater understanding of the preparation required before getting into a courtroom.” He stresses, however, that too few high schools in Maine participate in the program, particularly in Central, Eastern and Northern Maine. “We really need more teams, and I think if high school teachers and administrators knew more about the program and its benefits, there would be more Mock Trial teams.” Steven also encourages students to learn more about the program and request that their schools participate.
For more information about Mock Trial, and how to start a program at your high school, go to the website of the National High School Mock Trial Championship at https://www.nationalmocktrial.org. For information regarding the Maine Program, contact the Maine Coordinator, Amanda Doherty at dohertyesq@aol.com.