Making the case

Student-established mock trial team to try kidnapping case in Los Angeles

By Monica Nungaray
The Collegian

FRESNO STATE’S FIRST-EVER mock trial team is headed for regional competition in Los Angeles Feb. 18 and 19.

Club president Kristi Kleinberg and vice president Ashley DeFranco created the team in December 2005. “We thought it would be a really fun thing to do, Fresno State doesn’t really offer much for criminology honors program pre law option,” DeFranco said.

The team has had only two months to prepare for its competition. “Most schools get their case in August but our team is so new, we only have a limited time to practice,” DeFranco said.

The team has been practicing four nights a week to prepare for its competition against 12 experienced schools, such as Cal Poly and former champion, UCLA.

The students will be judged by their performance of professionalism and how well they choose witnesses to support their case. Students will act out the roles of the defendant, prosecutor and trial witnesses. They are also scored on their strategy, courtroom procedures and etiquette-based on points.

For the competition, each team from every school receives a case binder containing mock laws of a fictitious state, witnesses’ statements and a summary of useable and unusable evidence found at the scene, such as blood work, hair samples and in this particular case, a ransom note.

“The case is of a kidnapping, I will be the defendant who kidnapped the child and the prosecutor who is trying to find the defendant guilty,” DeFranco said. A local L.A. attorney will play the presiding judge in the case. “I’m pretty nervous about the whole competition but feel prepared, I have put a lot of effort into it,” DeFranco said.

THE COMPETITION WILL take place at the L.A. courthouse on Saturday and USC law school on Sunday.

The same case will be presented on both days where both the prosecution and defense presents its side. Schools have four teams presenting the defensive and prosecution but in Fresno State’s case, there is only one so the work is much more demanding.

The team is focusing on going over evidence rules, objections and court procedures. They have been working with three attorneys from the McCormick Barstow law firm, Gordon Park, Jamie Ledezma and Stanley Boone. Fresno State criminology professor Harvey Wallace has also helped to create the mock trial team and is the advisor. “Dr. Harvey was so excited to help us and the attorneys were more than happy to assist us also,” DeFranco said.

DEFRANCO AND KLEINBERG are both going to attend law school and feel this team will be influential in their future careers. “The mock trial is very extensive, it’s like being a real attorney,” DeFranco said.

DeFranco said when applying to law school it’s very important to be involved outside the classroom. “Joining the mock trial team is a very good experience if students are interested in law.”

DeFranco and Kleinberg started the club on their own by creating the constitution, paying dues, creating their own flyers and signing up on the American Mock Trial Association. “It’s through the association where schools are invited into competitions, scrimmages and other events,” DeFranco said. DeFranco is looking forward to the scrimmages they will be up against in the future, “The invitationals really help with your strategy, you can see what works and what doesn’t.”

The mock trial team will not be able to have a practice run before its real competition in L.A. but still feels grateful to be invited. “We’re very excited to be going and were thankful to have this opportunity,” DeFranco said.

DeFranco said winning “would be an honor, it would definitely be a miracle.”

The mock trial club accepts new members at any time. There is a $25 fee due each semester and the team meets the first Wednesday of every month. “We encourage younger classmento join, it gives them more time to have experience before applying to law schools,” DeFranco said.

Although the mock trial team is fairly new it has many goals such as having mock trial competitions at Fresno State and maintaining more teams and members.

For further information on how to join the mock trial team contact DeFranco or Kleinberg at [email protected] or through www.geocities.com/fresnostatemocktrial.

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