Volunteer

Volunteer for the Program

The High School Mock Trial program operates through the generous spirit of many individuals who volunteer their time. Volunteer opportunities range from coaching a team to evaluating or presiding during competition rounds in the spring to serving on a sub-committee behind the scenes. Without the volunteered time of the membership of the State Bar, the program would not be able to reach the 2,000+ high school students who are part of mock trial programs across the state of Georgia.

If you are interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities within the Georgia High School Mock Trial Competition, please complete and submit this short survey.

To volunteer as a judging panelist for our competitions in February and/or March 2025, please email Rich Harris at richardh@gabar.org.

Attorney Coaches

Each team is required to have at least one Attorney Coach; many teams have multiple coaches. The Attorney Coach works directly with the students in learning the legal aspects of preparing the case, from breaking down the case, drafting openings, closing, directs and crosses, to helping them learn how to make objections and use the Rules of Evidence. While this requires the greatest commitment of time, it also provides the most interaction and direct involvement with students in the program. Teams are responsible for identifying Attorney Coaches for their team, but the Mock Trial office can assist teams in locating a coach.

Did you know?  Attorney Coaches are eligible for CLE credit for their time coaching a team: 3 general CLE hours, including 1 hour in Ethics, 1 hour in Trial Practice, and 1 hour in Professionalism (3,1,1,1). Credit can be claimed by emailing Rich Harris at richardh@gabar.org.

Judging Panels for 2025 Competition Rounds

Attorneys and judges are utilized as Presiding Judges or Evaluators during the competition rounds. For each round of competition, four volunteers are needed in each courtroom (three Evaluators and one Presiding Judge).

Regional Competition

The Regional Competition is the first level of the season, where all teams compete in three rounds at 16 locations statewide. After Round 3, the teams are ranked by their cumulative record and the top three teams from each Region move on to the District Competition. Regional competitions will take place between January 30 and February 2 (with the greatest need on Saturday the 1st).

District Competition

The District Competition typically pairs two Regions to make a District, with three teams from each Region advancing. This level also consists of three rounds. After the third round, teams are ranked by their records from District, and the top two teams advance to the State Finals Competition. District competitions will take place on February 22 (plus one District in Atlanta on February 23).

State Finals Competition

The State Finals Competition will be held Friday through Sunday, March 14, 15, and 16 at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center in Lawrenceville. The 18 teams advancing from Districts will compete.

The State Champion will represent Georgia at the National High School Mock Trial Championship in Phoenix, Arizona in May 2025.

Register for Judging Panels

A registration link will be available later in the fall. Until then, if you have questions about how you can help at any level of the competition, please contact Rich Harris in the Mock Trial office: richardh@gabar.org or 404-527-8779.  

Did you know?  CLE credit is available for attorneys and judges serving on a judging panel during the 2024 mock trial season: 1 general CLE hour, including 1 hour in Trial Practice and 1 hour in Professionalism (1,1,0,1). Members who are able to help in two different levels of the competition (Region/District/State Finals) can claim an additional 1 general CLE hour and 1 hour in Trial Practice (1,1,0,0). The process to claim the credit will be shared with volunteers after the competition levels is completed.

High School Mock Trial Committee

The Mock Trial Competition is overseen by the YLD’s HSMT Committee, which includes a chair, 1st vice chair and YLD HSMT chair. Subcommittees exist to work on specific aspects of the program, including Law Academy, the creation of the Problem, the Rules of the Competition, State Finals Planning Board, and Development (Fundraising). To volunteer for a subcommittee, please contact Rich Harris in the Mock Trial office: richardh@gabar.org or 404-527-8779.

This year’s Chair is Faith Worley; First Vice Chair is Brittany Partridge, and YLD HSMT Co-Chairs are Sarah Young and James Cox.