Students at Mock Trial Competition Students at Mock Trial Competition

Mock Trial

About

 

What is Mock Trial?

UAlbany Mock Trial is one of the most successful student-run organizations in the nation. Our teams compete in intercollegiate mock trials that include scrimmages, invitationals, and the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA). Our members develop experiential trial skills that include persuasive writing, critical thinking, public speaking, and performance. Newly created in 2015, UAlbany Mock Trial has already won two bids to AMTA’s Opening Round Championship Series (ORCS) and boasts a number of students who have received outstanding attorney and witness awards at invitationals, Regionals, and ORCS.

A group of students at Mock Trial competition
Mock Trial defense team

Each year, AMTA sponsors regional and national-level competitions, providing alternating criminal and civil cases that take place in the fictional state of Midlands. Teams of ten pose as lawyers and witnesses for prosecution (criminal) or plaintiff (civil) and defense. Teams participate in three-hour trials over four rounds per competition. In each trial, prosecution/plaintiff and defense teams deliver opening statements, conduct direct and cross examinations of witnesses, and conclude with closing arguments. Approximately 700 teams from over 400 universities and colleges compete in AMTA's tournaments. 

Become Part of a Competitive Team
Dedication and Commitment

Being part of Mock Trial requires passion, drive, dedication, commitment, endurance, and a desire to succeed at the highest level of competition.

Every year, experienced student and faculty coaches train teams to craft effective opening statements and closing arguments, prepare witness examinations, and showcase our trial and performance skills for high scores by judges in order to rank at competitions. Practice makes perfect, and our teams travel near and far to attend collegiate invitationals and AMTA-sanctioned competitions to sharpen their trial skills.

UA Mock Trial team
Collaboration

Every member on the Mock Trial team has an impact on its success. Mock Trial’s success is largely due to its members’ collaboration and teamwork. Seasoned mock-ers work with newer members on the fundamentals of mock trial: how to build a case for trial, tell a story, craft persuasive arguments, and develop public speaking and performance skills.

Students working together at Mock Trial
Community Building

When you join Mock Trial, you become part of a diverse and inclusive club that encourages the growth of life-long friendships on and off the team. When we aren’t preparing, practicing, and competing, we stay at Dippikill (a 1000-acre wilderness retreat owned by the University at Albany’s Student Association), host banquets, have game nights, and just hang out!

 

Mock Trial team at competition

 

Contact Us

  • For general inquiries or questions related to membership, tryout schedules, or other Mock Trial events, please email us at [email protected].
  • Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Who We Are

 

Current Members

Coming Soon!

Past Results
2020-2021 Season

ORCS

Outstanding witness award:

Cristina Aquino, 25 ranks

 

Regionals

Outstanding attorney award:

Divya Tulsiani, 19 ranks

 

Capital Region Clash Invitational

Outstanding attorney award:

Diana Slobodian, 19 ranks

 

Dragon Invitational

Outstanding attorney award:

Divya Tulsiani, 20 ranks

 

Yellowjacket Invitational

Outstanding attorney award:

Axelle LaBaw, 20 ranks

Divya Tulsiani, 18 ranks

2018-2019 Season

Regionals

Eighth place at AMTA tournament hosted by Princeton University, winning an open bid to ORCS.

 

Executive Board

Divya Tulsiani, President

Email: [email protected]

Divya is a senior majoring in Political Science with a concentration in Law and Institutions and a minor in Sociology. She hopes to be a litigator and loves trial procedure and oral advocacy. 

Outside of Mock Trial, Divya is a peer mentor in the Program in Writing and Critical Inquiry (WCI) for students in the 3+3 accelerated law program. Divya also serves as the current president of Phi Alpha Delta pre-law fraternity, and she sits as a Social Sciences Division Senator in the Student Association Senate.

Divya Tulsiani

Yidi Sprei, Vice President

Email: [email protected]

Yidi is a sophomore majoring in Public Policy and Political Science with a concentration in Theory and minors in History and Philosophy. Yidi hopes to be a Political Strategist.

Outside of Mock Trial, Yidi is a Debate Team Competitor. Additionally, Yidi is a peer mentor in the Program in Writing and Critical Inquiry (WCI) for students in the 3+3 accelerated law program. Yidi is the Mock Trial Chair for the Phi Alpha Delta pre-law fraternity and serves as a founding member for a nonprofit organization, the Civil Discourse Project. 

Yidi Sprei

Thomas Magana, Treasurer

Email: [email protected]

Thomas is a senior studying Accounting and has interned at Deloitte as an audit and assurance intern and at PricewaterhouseCoopers as an IFS intern. Thomas served as the Chief Justice to the Student Association and remains a Justice for his senior year. Thomas plans on attending law school and one day moving into mergers and acquisitions.

Thomas’ interests beyond Mock Trial include cooking, reading, exercising, and history.

Thomas Magana

Cierra King, Secretary

Email: mailto:[email protected]

Cierra is a junior majoring in Criminal Justice with a minor in Business. She hopes to go into Criminal Law.

Outside of Mock Trial, Cierra is a peer career advisor in the Office of Career and Professional Development. She also sits as the Mock Trial chair for Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law fraternity. Cierra is also on the Juvenile Community Accountability Board, a restoration program for juveniles in the Albany area.

Student standing on stairs leaning on rail in lower level of Massry.

Caylie McAree, Public Relations Chair 

Email: mailto:[email protected]

Caylie is a sophomore double majoring in History and Criminal Justice. In the future, she hopes to become an attorney and practice Entertainment Law!

Outside of Mock Trial, Caylie is a UAlbany Ambassador as part of the Welcome Experience. She is a member of the Honors College and is in the Presidential Honors Society. Caylie serves as a member on the current recruitment team for Phi Alpha Delta. She is also on the Juvenile Community Accountability Board, a restoration program for juveniles in the Albany area.

Student standing in front of white wall smiling.

Kristin Gribbon, Tournament Director

Email: [email protected]

Kristin is a senior majoring in Political Science and Philosophy. Kristin has been a competitive member of UAlbany Mock Trial since her freshman year. She is looking forward to another great season, especially now that we’re in person.

In her spare time, Kristin enjoys cooking plant-based meals and spending time with friends.

Kristin Gribbon

Dr. Marcie Newton, Faculty Advisor

Email: [email protected]

Marcie joined UAlbany Mock Trial in fall 2017. She helps coach the team and coordinate judges for the invitational. She has legal experience in trial litigation and as a volunteer court-appointed special advocate for children in the legal system and community.

Marcie is also a faculty member in the Program in Writing and Critical Inquiry (WCI). She teaches students in the 3+3 accelerated law program as part of the UAlbany and Albany Law School affiliation.

Dr. Marcie Newton

Capital Region Clash Invitational

About

The Capital Region Clash Invitational runs like a standard collegiate mock trial competition: it consists of four trials, with participating teams competing in two rounds per day, concluding with an awards ceremony. Each round is judged and scored by a panel of judges who comprise attorneys, academic scholars, law students, and mock trial alumni with extensive knowledge of law and mock trial.

Please check back soon for more information on the 2022 Capital Region Clash Invitational.

 

Exterior image of Massry building

 

Information for Judges

We are always looking for volunteer judges with mock trial or other comparable legal experience. If you have mock trial experience and are interested in judging at our next Capital Region Clash Invitational, please contact our judges’ coordinator Marcie Newton for information.

 

interior image of massry building

 

Our Sponsors

In the News

 

News Releases


Awards

  • Student Association Senate Award for Consistent Dedication to Our University Community (2022)
  • Outstanding Student Organization Advisor Award (2022)
  • The Great Dane Award for a Student Organization (2021)
  • The Great Dane Award for a Student Organization (2020)

Join Us

We love our teammates, and we can’t wait to add you to our family!

To tryout for a competitive team, start by attending our general interest meeting, which occurs in the fall. We post the exact date, time, and location of the meeting on the UAlbany Mock Trial Instagram. At the general interest meeting, the current executive board members will introduce themselves, explain mock trial, what would be expected of you, and the tryout process. If you are interested in joining Mock Trial, you’ll sign up for an audition slot.

Notably, there are no prerequisites to join. You don’t need to be on the pre-law track to be a successful mock-er. In addition to our attorneys gaining experiential training for law school and beyond, we have attorneys and witnesses who, for example, aspire to go to medical school or become accountants, own a business, and became famous actors. We love having witnesses who can act! We are looking for people who want to learn how to command an audience, witnesses who can captivate the judge and jury with their acting skills, and attorneys who can convincingly argue their cases.

All levels of experience from none to lived and breathed mock trial at high school for four years are most welcome! For more information, reach out to our president, Divya Tulsiani.

 

Mock Trial students at opening ceremony