It may be one of TCU’s newer student organizations, but the TCU Mock Trial Team is already winning cases and making a name for itself on the competition circuit.
The primary focus of a mock trial team is to simulate the experience of a real courtroom trial in a structured and competitive setting. Students interested in law, advocacy, public speaking or other related fields can compete on a national level against other mock trial programs.
The TCU Mock Trial Team offers students practice in professionalism and courtroom procedures, as well as the opportunity to hone skills in leadership, organization, time-management and confidence. Students are mostly AddRan majors, with a significant number coming from the Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice, but the team is open to TCU students university wide.
To make the team, interested students must first participate in tryouts held by Meitl, who serves as Mock Trial President, a current TCU Mock Trial student and outside attorneys. Those who succeed are assigned to either Team A or Team B, each composed of nine students.
In fall 2023, TCU’s Mock Trial Team hosted the first “Mock Frogs Invitational” with 10 participating teams from schools in Texas, including Baylor, Austin College and Texas Tech. The event was a success, with outside attorneys volunteering their time to judge and college students from across the state seeing TCU’s hospitality on full display.
Additionally, in just their third year competing, TCU Mock Trial Team A won first place at the Chucky Mullins Invitational at Ole Miss, and students also won individual awards. They competed with 10 teams from across the southern region, including Ole Miss, Arkansas, Tulane and Rhodes College. Team A will compete in Houston in November, in Waco in December, at A & M Law in January and in Regionals in February. Team B will join team A in Waco, at A & M Law and at Regionals. These six tournaments are all weekend affairs, with travel on Friday and a full 9-hour day both Saturday and Sunday.
A History of TCU’s Mock Trial Team
TCU Mock Trial first became a student organization in fall of 2021 when Assistant Professor Michele Meitl, Ph.D., collaborated with students to form the organization after being approached with the idea by AddRan student Walter Flanagin.
The team officially registered in fall 2021 with the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) and grew the first year via word of mouth. TCU Mock Trial won the 2021 TCU New Student Organization of the Year award and competed in a regional tournament, which was conducted via Zoom due to the pandemic.
In fall 2022 the organization grew, and TCU Mock Trial had four teams compete in one invitational tournament as well as the AMTA Regional Tournament. Students were competitive, with a couple earning individual attorney awards and Team A earing an honorable mention.
TCU Mock Trial is funded by philanthropic support, including a generous donation by Duane Morris LLP, and contributions from the Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice, AddRan College of Liberal Arts, student dues and the TCU Student Government Association.
