Mock trial program gives San Bernardino County students courtroom experience, shapes career plans

Students and a program representative involved with San Bernardino County’s mock trial program said the experience is giving high school participants courtroom skills and shaping future career plans.

Program staff and students described the program as a collaborative effort between the county superintendent’s office, school districts and the district attorney’s office that exposes students to judges and practicing attorneys and helps them build public‑speaking and teamwork skills.

“This is the future of our profession. And so when you come out here and you see how hard these students have worked, understand the concepts of the way it works in court, they're already getting a taste of whether they want to do this for the rest of their lives,” a program representative said. “And some of these folks continue on in either our office or the public defender's office. In each office, we have members that used to do mock trial and now they're attorneys in the office.”

A student who has participated multiple years described personal improvement in public speaking and taking on different roles in rounds. “I was pretty bad at, public speaking. So, you know, trying to join, new grama and trying to, you know, especially mock trial where speaking is such a large part of it. Every year, I'm just keep on approving on my public speaking and, you know, trying to get myself out there. Here I've been a I've been a witness. I've done, pretrial and currently for this upcoming round I'll be the bailiff,” the student said.

Another student said the program has helped with teamwork and communication: “I've learned that respect is, really essential to communicating, especially working as a team. And that, when in teams, I feel like that constant, just constant interaction in person can really foster, like, commode.”

A student planning to double major and attend law school said the program’s courtroom training will inform future work in public policy. “So I actually wanna wanna double major in engineering and political science, and then I wanna go to law school after that. I have big aspirations, and I think I'm definitely going to take a lot of the stuff I've learned about, law and the court from this program and apply it to my future career, especially because I wanna work in public policy,” the student said.

The program representative noted the role of educational and legal partners: “1 of the wonderful things about mock trial is that county superintendent of schools is a lead contributor and partner, but we couldn't do it on our own. We need the support of our school districts and we need the support of the district attorney's office, which have been incredibly solid throughout the years. Because of the attorneys, because of the judges, because of that support, we're able to work as a team collaboratively to make this opportunity happen for all of our students.”

Students also described performing in regional rounds and finals. “I'll tell you, when I see the students in the finals, they've got they're the best of the best. They've poise, they're calm, extremely professional, and they go above and beyond to do a wonderful job,” the program representative said.

No formal actions or policy decisions were recorded in the remarks. The comments documented student experiences, program partnerships and the role local legal professionals play in supporting the mock trial curriculum; students described past roles (witness, bailiff, pretrial) and expressed plans to use the skills in future studies or careers.