Harvard Mock Trial Association

Welcome to the Homepage of the Harvard Mock Trial Association, a student-run organization at Harvard College! Here you’ll find information on the history and members of the Harvard Mock Trial program, as well as information on all of our special events and programs. Feel free to look around.

Mock Trial, sometimes called moot court, is a team-based type of legal competition that is practiced at every educational level, from middle school to graduate school. Participants in Collegiate Mock Trial assume the roles of both attorneys and witnesses, using critical thinking, debate skills, and a thorough knowledge of trial law to compete against other schools in full..."mock" trials.

Most mock trial tournaments typically involve a series of trial competitions. Each trial consists of two teams of six people, with one team representing the plaintiff and one team representing the defense. Competitors take the roles of witnesses and attorneys, performing opening statements, closing statements, and direct and cross examinations before a panel of scoring judges. Competition for the entire academic year revolves around a single civil or criminal case, which is released by the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA).

The Harvard Mock Trial Association is a highly competitive and highly successful student-run non-profit legal organization at Harvard College. Members improve their debate skills, public speaking ability, and knowledge of the law by participating in teams at intercollegiate mock trial competitions across the nation. Last year, Harvard Mock Trial had its most successful year of competition in its entire history, placing two teams 1st and 2nd in the division (2nd and 3rd in the nation) at the 2007 American Mock Trial Association National Championship out of an initial field of over 600 college teams. Harvard's two teams are now ranked 2nd and 8th in the country, making Harvard's program the top ranked in the nation.

This success in competition, combined with the recent expansion of the Harvard Mock Trial Association from two to four teams, has led the organization to pursue a number of initiatives outside of competition. The most recent of these initiatives are a college invitational tournament, the Crimson Classic, and a mock trial seminar for high school students, the High School Seminar Program.

Through both our intercollegiate competitive activities and our high school and college level programs, the Harvard Mock Trial Association aims to provide the most meaningful learning experiences possible for those students interested in legal issues. We pride ourselves on helping our participants refine their longer term career goals - whether or not these should eventually encompass formal legal work - by providing some of the earliest and most realistic exposure to the world of trial law, through hands-on exposure to litigation, trial advocacy and analytical casework, all in an incredibly fun and team based environment.

All current Harvard undergraduates are eligible to join the Harvard Mock Trial Association, and absolutely n experience in mock trial or law is necessary to do so. In fact, every year since its foundation, Harvard Mock Trial has accepted multiple new members with no previous mock trial experience.

Unlike many other college mock trial teams, which allow new members only to observe and not to participate in competition, every new member of Harvard Mock Trial immediately becomes a competing member. Many new members have made it as far as the national level of competition in their first year on a team. In 2007, 7 of the 15 members on the 1st and 2nd place National Championship teams were in their first in the organization.

Tryouts are held every year in mid- to late September. Students with any interest in law or debate, as well as experience in public speaking and theater, are encouraged to tryout or visit our Prospective Members page for more information.

Harvard name and/or VERITAS shield are trademarks of the President and Fellows of Harvard College and are used by permission of Harvard University.


	» HMTA 2008: Fierceness, 'Fficiency, Fairness, Festivity (should have stuck with Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger...) » Thanks to everyone who helped make our 2008 High School Seminars the most successful in the history of our program. We hope you'll join us again next year!