The Criminal Justice Mock Trial Association, an intercollegiate organization that is sponsored jointly by the University of Alabama’s criminal justice department and political science department, was created in the spring of 2011 to attract students interested in careers in the legal field.

“Since so many students who are interested in law school are either political science or criminal justice majors, this seemed a logical arrangement, many students are also dual majors or have minors in one of the two departments,” said Mark Lanier, an advisor for the MTA. “The arrangement has been a great success with the competitive Trial Teams enjoying unprecedented success and advancing to the regional tournament for the first time ever.”

The club aims to enhance public speaking skills in its members as well as their understanding of the law and courtroom etiquette.

“Each year, we get a case which is provided by [the American Mock Trial Association],” said Thomas Gibson, the club’s president. “They then read the case and prepare an opening argument and a direct examination of any witness they choose. We then have tryouts in the fall to fill the empty slots on the competition teams.”

The basis of the mock trials rotates annually between civil and criminal cases, according to Gibson. Members are expected to prepare direct examinations, cross-examinations, openings and closings and memorize all parts to prepare for competition.

Each member is provided a copy of the case description that they then read to prepare for their opening argument

After traveling with its two teams – the crimson team and the white team — to Jackson, Miss., this past February, the crimson team placed high enough in the competition to earn a place in the next competition in Greenville, S.C., on Thursday where they will compete with other times from schools such as Duke University, Harvard University and Yale University.

While there are no official criteria for joining the MTA, it is recommended that interested students sign up for a 300 level course in either the criminal justice or political science department.

The criminal justice department also offers a course titled Judicial and Law Advocacy mutually and the MTA as a special topics course to instruct both members and nonmembers to prepare for courtroom procedures.

For more information about joining the Criminal Justice Mock Trial Association, students can contact Thomas Gibson at [email protected] or visit the team’s online profile at thesource.ua.edu.