Evanston wins 19th Annual Northwest Suburban Bar Association Mock Trial Invitational

Evanston Township High School’s team was victorious at the recent 19th Annual Northwest Suburban Bar Association Mock Trial Invitational. The contest was held on February 18, 2015 in the courtrooms of the Circuit Court of Cook County’s Third Municipal District in Rolling Meadows. Twenty-four local high school teams, comprised of over 400 students, participated in this Invitational.

Kevin Kappock, Mock Trial Team Coach at Evanston High School was thrilled with his teams’ triumph.

“The NWSBA Mock Trial is one of the premier high school competitions in Illinois. Our team has always considered it a highlight of the season and we are thrilled to have been honored with this year’s first place. The NWSBA has consistently demonstrated an unsurpassed dedication to high school mock trials and the education of our students,” said Kappock.

St. Charles North High School took second place, finishing a mere six points out of first, and Chicago Christian High School landed third. Individual honors were awarded to Elena Von Stee from Timothy Christian High School for Outstanding Attorney and Lucia Garrett from Maine West High School for Outstanding Witness. The students were judged on a point-scale of not-effective (1) to outstanding (5) on various courtroom roles, from witness performance, direct exam by attorneys and cross and recross exam by attorneys.

Preparations for this type of tournament begin at the start of the school year in September, requiring diligence and dedication on the part of the students. These students have invested hundreds of hours preparing for this courtroom drama by absorbing the details of the case, memorizing parts, getting into character and rehearsing. Many of these students are involved in other extra-curricular activities that take up a large number of hours.

“Our team members are an elite group. We have in our group star athletes, mathletes, actors, singers, peer-mentors, newspaper editors and members of student government. Despite all of their other commitments, this exceptionally talented group dedicated themselves to our team, spending more time working together outside of our scheduled practices than we are able to do formally in school,” said Kevin Kappock of the Evanston team.

In actual courtrooms, the teams presented twelve different arguments of the case The People of the State of Illinois vs. Casey Jones, arguing one count of home invasion and one count of aggravated battery.

This year, The Mock Trials were Co-Chaired by Richard Karwacka of Serio & Karwaczka, PC, Rosemont, and Colin Gilbert of Drost, Gilbert, Andrew & Apicella, LLC, Palatine, both members of the NWSBA.  

“We continue to be amazed at the talent that these high school students possess, and are impressed with the effort and enthusiasm it takes to prepare for this type of tournament. We would like to acknowledge all of the coaches and mentors from all of the participating schools for their commitment to their respective teams,” said Gilbert.

Twelve Cook County Circuit Court judges volunteered their time and expertise as they presided over the students’ cases, while more than 40 attorneys from the NWSBA served as competition judges.

Judge William O. Maki, presiding judge in the Third Municipal District, welcomed the students, coaches, parents, judges and attorneys to the Invitational. He introduced the Cook County judges presiding over the courtroom competitions. The judges this year included  Joseph Cataldo, Jill Cerone-Marisie, Joel Greenblatt, Bridget Hughes, Hyman Reibman, Martin Kelley, Alfred Levinson, Thomas Roti, Richard Schwind, John Tourlelot (Ret.), Steven Wagner and Jeffrey Warnick.

For the first time, the NWSBA presented a Mock Trial Special Service Award. The Hon. Thomas D. Roti received this esteemed honor for his continued involvement with this tournament.

“I would like to thank the Mock Trial committee for this special award. It’s always been a pleasure to participate each year,” said Judge Roti.

Not every student that participates in the Mock Trial will become an attorney, but this type of event gives all the students on these teams experience working and preparing for a courtroom setting. They learn to strategize, interpret the law and successfully work as a team toward an end-goal.

“If even one student on one of these teams is motivated to continue their education in law, it makes all of our volunteering even more valuable,” said Karwacka.

The corporate sponsors for this event were American Landscaping, Inc., DeWald Law Group, and Drost, Gilbert, Andrew & Apicella, LLC. The event was funded in part with a grant from the Illinois State Bar Association.