COVID-19 Pandemic = Cancellation of ISBA High School Mock Trial Invitational: How Students Turned Disappointment into Life Lessons

As many of you know, in March 2020, the ISBA had to make the difficult decision to cancel the ISBA High School Mock Trial Invitational due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  This was such a hard decision to make.  We know that the students, coaches, friends, and families that attend this event each year work diligently over several months to prepare for the Invitational.  To all of you: we appreciate your hard work, dedication, and enthusiasm.  We also appreciate the many volunteers who take time to help with the Invitational each year and the University of Illinois’ College of Law for providing us with a space to hold our event.  We hope to see everyone next year for the 2021 Invitational.

We have always known that this program is important to the students who participate each year and provides a great learning experience in many ways, but this year, we decided to invite students and teams to tell us about what mock trial means to them in their own words.  We have gathered these writings together in a Special Edition of the ISBA’s Law-Related Education Committee’s newsletter devoted to Mock Trial.  We thank the students and teams who submitted their thoughts and insights and we hope that our readers enjoy and are inspired by them as much as we were!

Best wishes,
ISBA’s Standing Committee on Law-Related Education for the Public and
Katy Karayannis, Mock Trial Coordinator