Evanston, Oak Park advance in Mock Trial Invitational

On Friday, January 22, 2010, the Illinois State Bar Associations' Law Related Education Committee conducted one of four regional high school trials at the High School Mock Trial Invitational. The invitational is co-sponsored by Illinois LEARN, the University of Illinois Springfield, The Illinois Judges Association, and the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago. Two teams, Evanston and Oak Park/River Forest, took the top two placements and will proceed to the finals in Springfield later this spring. Over 16 teams competed in the trials on Friday and Saturday. Chief Federal Judge James F. Holderman presided over the last trials between Evanston and Oak Park/River Forest. The teams presented the case of Logan Lovell v. Pat Sainsbury, which was a civil case dealing with teenage drivers who get into a traffic accident after leaving a party where alcohol is being served. The case highlights the popular Illinois Judges Association program, Seven Reasons to Leave the Party, which has been presented throughout the state by Illinois judges. Click here to view the Mock Trial Invitational photo gallery.