Ohio Mock Trial High School Competition

About High School Mock Trial

Watch your students grow both academically and personally, right before your eyes! Students learn first-hand about the law, court procedures and the judicial system while also building critical 21st Century skills. 

Ohio Mock Trial of­fers an in­no­v­a­tive ap­proach to learn­ing the law and how our legal sys­tem func­tions. Guided by teach­ers and vol­un­teer legal ad­vi­sors, stu­dents par­tic­i­pate in an orig­i­nal, un­scripted sim­u­lated trial writ­ten by at­tor­neys.  High school stu­dents argue both sides of the case in real court­rooms across the state.  The state fi­nals are held in the Ohio State­house and the win­ner ad­vances to the na­tional com­pe­ti­tion.

Each year vol­un­teer at­tor­neys cre­ate an orig­i­nal case around a cur­rent con­sti­tu­tional issue im­por­tant to stu­dents.  Mock Trial teams work with an at­tor­ney or a judge to pre­pare their case – from both the plain­tiff and de­fense per­spec­tive. Com­pe­ti­tions at the dis­trict, re­gional and state lev­els are con­ducted in an ac­tual court­room and are scored by pan­els of lawyers and judges.

Mock Trial Objectives

• Improve critical thinking, reading, writing, public speaking and listening skills
• De­velop un­der­stand­ing and ap­pre­ci­a­tion for the law, court pro­ce­dures, and the ju­di­cial sys­tem
• Un­der­stand con­sti­tu­tional rights and re­spon­si­bil­i­ties
• Rec­og­nize and re­ward stu­dents’ aca­d­e­mic and in­tel­lec­tual achieve­ments

For questions, contact Danielle Wilmot at dwilmot@oclre.org or 614-485-3507.

Ohio Mock Trial Case

Stay tuned! The 2022-2023 case will be released in September! 

Previous Cases 

Looking for a prior year's case file? To view a complete list of case summaries from 1983-2022, click  HERE. To order a prior year's case, please complete the order form HERE.

2021-22 State of Buckeye ex rel. Hollis Fitzpatrick v. Fran DeBier, et al.: Hollis Fitzpatrick was the owner of a family restaurant, Fitzpatrick’s, in downtown Harmony. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the state of Buckeye in 2020, Fitzpatrick’s struggled financially and ultimately shut down. Hollis blames the government restrictions for the closure of their restaurant and is taking legal action to be compensated for their loss. This case asks students to consider whether the pandemic restrictions were so severe that they constituted a taking of Hollis Fitzpatrick’s property that requires just compensation. 2021-22 Case Capsule Video

2020-21 State of Buckeye v. Micah Opessa: In 2019, Micah Opessa pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the death of their former best-friend, Haumea Robins. A year into their sentence, Micah found out the eyewitness who saw Micah fleeing the crime recanted their testimony. Now, Micah has filed a motion to withdraw their guilty plea, claiming the prosecutor violated their constitutional rights when they knowingly withheld this information when they offered Micah a plea deal. The Supreme Court ruling in Brady v. Maryland requires the prosecution to overturn exculpatory evidence during trial. In this Mock Trial case, students will argue whether this precedent also applies to plea negotiations.  2020-21 Case Capsule Video

2019-20  Rory Maldonado v. Blake Varga et al: During their senior year at Trillium High School, Rory Maldonado was suspended by Principal Blake Varga for organizing and hosting a gun rights demonstration. The demonstration occurred off campus at a nearby public park but Principal Varga claimed that Rory’s demonstration caused disruption at the school. Rory believed Principal Varga simply disagreed with Rory’s position on gun rights, which led to the suspension. Now, Rory is suing Principal BlakeVarga and the school for a deprivation of their First Amendment Rights.  2019-20 Case Capsule Video

2018-19  State of Buckeye v. Quinn Woolf: Quinn Woolf: High school student, Quinn Woolf, was arrested on charges of aggravated assault and telecommunications fraud for stealing $120 million from the State of Buckeye’s pension fund.  The state is basing its charges on drone footage of the Woolf’s backyard captured from 400 feet in the air that was later enhanced. Defense has moved to exclude the drone footage, claiming that police violated Quinn’s Fourth Amendment protection against unlawful search and seizure.  2018-19 Case Capsule Video

For more information on how to become involved with the Ohio High School Mock Trial pro­gram, please con­tact Danielle Wilmot, dwilmot@oclre.org 614-485-3507.

Mock Trial Competition

2022 State Champion  

Congratulations to the 2022 Ohio High School State Champion, Talawanda High School! They will go on to represent Ohio at the National High School Mock Trial Championship, hosted virtually in Kalamazoo, MI May 5-7.    

Thirty-one teams from twenty-five schools participated in the 2022 State Competition which took place over three days. It was a close competition and all participants should be proud of their hard work!  

Thank you to The Ohio Channel for live streaming and recording the State Championship! You can watch the championship round below. 

2022 Ohio Mock Trial – Student Awards  

Congratulations to the teams that participated in the 2022 Ohio High School Mock Trial Competition! Throughout the competition students shined in their roles as attorneys and witnesses, some even won awards for their hard work. The documents below provide a complete list of award winners from each level of competition.  

District Competition Outstanding Attorneys

District Competition Outstanding Witnesses

Regional Competition Outstanding Attorneys

Regional Competition Outstanding Witnesses

State Competition Outstanding Attorneys

State Competition Outstanding Witnesses

Thank You  

The 2022 Ohio High School Competition has officially concluded. Thank you to the many volunteers who generously donated their time to make this competition a reality! With over 300 volunteers we were able to serve approximately 2,000 students across the state. This competition would not have been possible without you, and we are grateful for your support.  

For more information on how to become involved with the Ohio High School Mock Trial program, please contact Danielle Wilmot, dwilmot@oclre.org 614-485-3507.  

Team Registration Pricing 

For more information on how to become involved with the Ohio High School Mock Trial pro­gram, please con­tact Danielle Wilmot, dwilmot@oclre.org 614-485-3507.

Professional Development

The 2022 Mock Trial Conference will take place on Tuesday, September 27, 2022. Introductory and “Deep Dive” tracks will be available. Registration information and additional conference details are forthcoming.

If you are interested in learning more about Ohio High School Mock Trial, please contact the program coordinator, Danielle Wilmot (dwilmot@oclre.org). 

Annual Lori Urogdy Eiler Award

The Eiler Award for Mock Trial Coaching Excellence is named in honor of Lori Eiler, retired teacher and former mock trial advisor at Shaw High School in East Cleveland. Every year, mock trial students nominate advisors who, like Lori, connect with and challenge them to achieve individual personal best.

Presented annually, the Lori Urogdy Eiler Award recognizes an Ohio Mock Trial teacher, legal advisor, volunteer or administrator whose dedication and selflessness in giving their time, as well as their knowledge and skills, makes a difference in the lives of students. Eligible candidates are those who regularly inspire and motivate teams to outstanding performance, while also modeling civility and holding their students accountable for the same. Candidates demonstrate an ability to connect with team members as individuals, helping them to overcome obstacles to success and leading them to achieve an individual "personal best." Nominations are reviewed and voted on by the OCLRE Board of Trustees and the award will be presented at the Fall Mock Trial Conference, typically held in September.

To nominate someone for the 2022 Lori Urogdy Eiler Award, please complete this form HERE.

The 2021 Eiler Award is presented posthumously to Jim Holmes, a longtime and beloved teacher and mock trial advisor at Danville High School (Knox County). Jim passed away in February 2021. Jim was nominated by current Danville teacher and team advisor, Hunter Webster:  

“Jim was a faithful servant to the Danville community as both a teacher and volunteer firefighter  from the early sixties to his retirement in 2005. He founded Danville's mock trial program in 1994  and methodically built it to what it is today. He's the reason that a low-income public high school  of some 170 students is competitive against high income schools and perennial state contenders.  [Jim] continued serving as advisor for mock trial for nearly a decade after his retirement. The  gravity of his impact is such that...we made the decision that one of our teams would always be  named [in] his honor.”  

OCLRE is pleased to recognize and extend gratitude to all teachers and team advisors. During what was a particularly challenging year for all, your commitment and encouragement meant so much to students. Current and former students nominated the following teachers/team advisors for the 2021 Eiler Award. Our sincere appreciation to all!