Nine would-be lawyers from U. City competed in Mock Trial at the St. Louis County Courthouse in Clayton against Northwest Academy of Law in late February, including freshmen Ari Siegel, Jaylen Williams, Joseph Chunn, sophomores Cydney Poland, Diamond Jones, Solan Marion, Samantha Strand, and junior Marlynna Blumer.

The case concerned a student who had been caught with drugs in his book bag, but claimed his classmate planted the drugs on him. The U. City team was on defense, meaning they had to prove or show why the student was not guilty. Freshman Joseph Chunn went after the prosecution for the opening statement. Each lawyer questioned their witness for fourteen minutes, which is referred to as the direct. After the defense finished, the prosecution asked the witness questions for 10 minutes to prove their side, or the cross examination.

The closing statement was done by junior Marlynna Blumer, who has experience in the Mock Trial competition. After the trial was over, both teams waited for the jury to reveal their scores. After five minutes, which felt like a long time, Mock Trial instructor Lori Adkins told the team that they won the case. The overall team’s score was 175 and combined overall was 340/440. The team will not be moving on to regionals, however they moved up from 45th place to 24th.

“It’s a lot of work, such as speaking in front of a crowd and having people skills,” said Samantha Strand. Overall, the team members agreed that it was a very informative experience to be a part of and learning about law. “I learned how to be a part of a team and come to know individuals who bear great potential,” said Chunn.