Mock Trial Masterclass
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Mastering Mock Trial and Law Academy
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324 Terms
Q: What is Mock Trial?
A: A simulated trial in which students perform the roles of attorneys and witnesses.
Q: What is the Case/Problem?
A: The official fact pattern and materials provided for the competition.
Q: What are case materials?
A: The official documents governing what can be presented
Q: What is a fact pattern?
A: The factual scenario underlying the case.
Q: What is a witness statement?
A: The official statement or affidavit describing what a witness can testify about.
Q: What does it mean that a witness is "bound by statements"?
A: The witness is limited to facts in their statement
Q: What is a stipulation?
A: A fact or matter the parties agree is true and cannot dispute at trial.
Q: What is an exhibit?
A: A physical or documentary piece of evidence identified in the case.
Q: What is an indictment?
A: A formal accusation charging someone with a crime.
Q: What is a complaint?
A: A formal document initiating a civil action.
Q: What is an answer?
A: The defendant's formal response to a civil complaint.
Q: What is a jury charge?
A: Legal instructions explaining the law the jury must apply.
Q: What is legal authority?
A: A statute
Q: What is the trial record?
A: The materials and evidence officially considered during trial.
Q: What is the Trial Roster Form?
A: The form identifying the attorneys and witnesses participating in a particular round.
Q: What are the levels of Georgia Mock Trial competition?
A: Region
Q: Who is the presiding judge?
A: The judge controlling the trial and making procedural and evidentiary rulings.
Q: What is a scoring evaluator?
A: A judge who evaluates individual and team performance.
Q: Who is the jury in Mock Trial?
A: The factfinder addressed by the attorneys; in competition
Q: What is a verdict?
A: The ultimate decision in the case.
Q: What is burden of proof?
A: The obligation to establish the required facts or elements under the applicable legal standard.
Q: Who is the plaintiff?
A: The party bringing a civil lawsuit.
Q: Who is the defendant?
A: The party defending against a civil claim or criminal charge.
Q: Who is the prosecution?
A: The side bringing a criminal case against the defendant.
Q: What is the defense?
A: The side representing the defendant.
Q: What does an attorney do?
A: Conducts openings
Q: What does a witness do?
A: Provides testimony according to the case materials.
Q: What is an attorney coach?
A: An attorney who advises and coaches the team under the competition rules.
Q: What is a teacher coach?
A: The teacher responsible for team supervision and educational coordination.
Q: What does a timekeeper do?
A: Tracks the time used during each trial segment.
Q: What is an opening statement?
A: The attorney's introduction to the case and what the evidence is expected to show.
Q: What is a closing argument?
A: Persuasive argument explaining why the jury should rule for your side based on admitted evidence and law.
Q: What is direct examination?
A: Questioning your own witness.
Q: What is cross-examination?
A: Questioning the opposing side's witness.
Q: What is rebuttal?
A: The prosecution or plaintiff's response to the opposing closing argument.
Q: What is examination?
A: Questioning of a witness by an attorney.
Q: What is testimony?
A: Evidence given verbally by a witness under oath.
Q: What is an oath or affirmation?
A: A witness's promise to testify truthfully.
Q: What is the witness stand?
A: The designated location where the witness testifies.
Q: What is the counsel table?
A: The area where attorneys sit during trial.
Q: What is the podium?
A: The place from which an attorney may address the court or jury.
Q: What is courtroom decorum?
A: Professional
Q: What is student work product?
A: Trial work substantially created by the student team rather than scripted by coaches.
Q: What is fair extrapolation?
A: A reasonable inference from the case materials that does not materially advantage either side.
Q: What is unfair extrapolation?
A: Bringing in new material information that materially affects testimony or substantive issues and advantages or disadvantages a side.
Q: What is a material fact?
A: A fact that matters to a substantive issue in the case.
Q: What is a substantive issue?
A: An issue affecting the actual merits of the case.
Q: What is the scope of case materials?
A: The facts and information contained in the permitted case materials.
Q: What does "beyond the scope" mean?
A: Going beyond what is permissible in the examination or case materials.
Q: What is voir dire?
A: Examination of a witness to assess qualifications; Georgia Mock Trial does not permit voir dire examination of witnesses.
Q: What is sequestration?
A: Keeping witnesses separated so they cannot improperly hear other testimony.
Q: What is a bench conference?
A: A discussion between attorneys and the judge at or near the bench.
Q: What is trial communication?
A: Communication between team members during trial subject to competition restrictions.
Q: What is team presentation?
A: The coordinated performance of attorneys and witnesses throughout the round.
Q: When are witnesses sworn?
A: At the beginning of trial by the presiding judge.
Q: What is the Georgia trial sequence?
A: Opening → Direct → Cross → Closing.
Q: How long is each opening?
A: 5 minutes per side.
Q: How much direct-examination time does each side receive?
A: 25 minutes
Q: How much cross-examination time does each side receive?
A: 20 minutes
Q: How long is each closing?
A: 5 minutes per side.
Q: Can unused time from one trial segment be transferred to another?
A: No.
Q: Who may reserve time for rebuttal?
A: The prosecution or plaintiff.
Q: What are Attorney 1's duties?
A: Opening + Direct Witness 1 + Cross Witness 1.
Q: What are Attorney 2's duties?
A: Direct Witness 2 + Cross Witness 2.
Q: What are Attorney 3's duties?
A: Direct Witness 3 + Cross Witness 3 + Closing/Rebuttal.
Q: Who may object to an opposing opening?
A: The attorney who gave your team's opening.
Q: Who may object to an opposing closing?
A: The attorney who gives your team's closing.
Q: Can you object during an opening?
A: No. You may raise the issue afterward under Rule 53.
Q: Can you object during a closing?
A: No. You may raise the issue afterward under Rule 53.
Q: What must a closing be based on?
A: Actual evidence and testimony admitted during trial.
Q: What is filibustering?
A: Excessive or nonresponsive testimony used to consume the opposing team's cross-examination time.
Q: What is deliberate time wasting?
A: Intentionally using nonresponsive or evasive answers to reduce an opponent's available time.
Q: Who has discretion to grant a time extension?
A: The presiding judge.
Q: When can a time discrepancy be raised?
A: A discrepancy of more than 15 seconds may be raised during the round; timing decisions are final.
Q: What is the post-trial critique?
A: The debriefing session following the round; the rules allot 10 minutes.
Q: What is an objection?
A: A formal assertion that opposing counsel is violating an applicable rule.
Q: What are grounds for an objection?
A: The specific legal reason supporting the objection.
Q: What does "sustained" mean?
A: The judge agrees with the objection.
Q: What does "overruled" mean?
A: The judge rejects the objection.
Q: What is relevance?
A: Evidence has a tendency to make a consequential fact more or less probable.
Q: What is irrelevant evidence?
A: Evidence that does not make a consequential fact more or less probable.
Q: What is unfair prejudice?
A: An unfair harmful effect that substantially outweighs the evidence's legitimate probative value.
Q: What is confusion of issues?
A: A danger that evidence will confuse the jury about what issues matter.
Q: What does misleading the jury mean?
A: Evidence could cause the jury to reach an improper understanding.
Q: What is cumulative evidence?
A: Evidence unnecessarily repeating other evidence.
Q: What is an argumentative question?
A: A question that argues with the witness instead of seeking information.
Q: What is an ambiguous question?
A: A question capable of being understood in multiple ways.
Q: What is a non-responsive answer?
A: An answer that does not answer the question asked.
Q: What does "assumes facts not in evidence" mean?
A: The question assumes an unproven fact.
Q: What is lack of foundation?
A: The necessary preliminary facts establishing admissibility have not been shown.
Q: What is a predicate?
A: The preliminary factual basis required before evidence can be admitted.
Q: What is hearsay?
A: An out-of-court statement offered to prove the truth of what it asserts.
Q: What is character evidence?
A: Evidence concerning a person's character or character trait.
Q: What is lack of personal knowledge?
A: The witness lacks sufficient firsthand knowledge to testify about the matter.
Q: What is improper opinion?
A: Opinion testimony that fails the requirements for lay or expert opinion.
Q: What is improper expert testimony?
A: Expert testimony failing Rule 702's requirements.
Q: What is privilege?
A: Legal protection preventing certain communications from being compelled or admitted.
Q: What is a leading question?
A: A question suggesting the answer.
Q: What is authentication?
A: Establishing that an exhibit is what the offering party claims it is.
Q: What is an unfair extrapolation objection?
A: An objection that opposing counsel or a witness is introducing material outside the case materials.