Mock Trial & Mock Appeal Program

Discovering Justice’s Mock Trial & Mock Appeal Program is available to middle schools (grade 6-8) throughout Massachusetts. To find out more about organizing a team for your school, contact Outreach and Recruitment Associate Malia Brooks at mbrooks@discoveringjustice.org. 

Both the Mock Trial Program and the Mock Appeal Program are designed for middle school students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. The Mock Appeal Program is slightly more academically rigorous than the Mock Trial Program and is better suited for 7th and 8th graders.

There are no prerequisites to participate in either program. Although there is continuity between the Fall Mock Trial Program and the Spring Mock Appeal as they use the same case, both programs are designed to be engaging and inclusive for all students regardless of whether or not they have participated in our programs before.

The Mock Trial Program runs for ten weeks during the fall school semester, typically beginning in September and ending after Thanksgiving, with culminating trial events occuring in December.
The Mock Appeal Program runs for eleven weeks during the spring school semester, starting in March and ending in late May or early June. Throughout both programs, 90 minute sessions are conducted on a weekly basis as teams prepare to argue their cases before a judge and jury or, for the Appeal, in front of a panel of three volunteer judges.

Sessions happen once a week after school. The time of the 90 minute session depends on the preferences of the school and volunteers. Students should participate in every session and attend the final event.
Teacher Coordinators are required to attend an orientation at the beginning of the semester, attend every session, and be present and help coordinate the final event. While they do not facilitate the sessions, teacher coordinators are required to be active participants in coordinating logistics, communicating with parents and the school, and supporting legal mentors when necessary.