About the Competition

Roll your mouse over the United States and see where the past 26 National Championships have been hosted.

The national mock trial championship was initiated in 1984 in Des Moines, Iowa, with teams from Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin participating. After the success of the tournament in Iowa, more states became interested in participating and the tournament became billed as an "All-State" Tournament.

The competition then moved to Lincoln, Nebraska (1985) and involved 10 states. Subsequent tournaments have been held in Phoenix, Arizona (1986); Washington, D.C. (1987); Dallas, Texas (1988); Louisville, Kentucky (1989) - the first "National High School Mock Trial Championship"; Portland, Oregon (1990); New Orleans, Louisiana (1991); Madison, Wisconsin (1992); Atlanta, Georgia (1993); Chicago, Illinois (1994); Denver, Colorado (1995); Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1996); Nashville, Tennessee (1997); Albuquerque, New Mexico (1998); St. Louis, Missouri (1999); Columbia, South Carolina (2000); Omaha, Nebraska (2001); St. Paul, Minnesota (2002); New Orleans, Louisiana (2003); Orlando, Florida (2004); Charlotte, North Carolina (2005); Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (2006); Dallas, Texas (2007); Wilmington, Delaware (2008), and Atlanta, Georgia (2009). The tournament is hosted annually by different states to ensure that the cost of running the tournament doesn't fall disproportionately on any particular state.

This year's competition in Atlanta, Georgia, included a total of 42 teams including Guam, South Korea, the Commonwealth of Northern Marianna Islands, and State Champion teams from across the country. Future sites include Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2010) and Phoenix, Arizona (2011).

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Tournament Update (2010)

The Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA), host of the 2010 National Mock Trials which will be held in Philadelphia May 6-8, 2010, reports growing excitement across the Keystone state for the upcoming event. Under the leadership of PBA President Andy Susko and former mock trialer and now Bedford County District Attorney and PBA Young Lawyers Chair Bill Higgins, and with the support of Pennsylvania First Lady and Third Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Midge Rendell who chairs the Honorary Advisory Committee, the PBA is moving forward in making all of the preparations necessary to throw a wonderful mock trial party in the City of Brotherly Love (and sisterly affection) in 2010. The PBA is proud to have Drexel University as its partner in the statewide mock trial program and as the leadership sponsor of the 2010 National Mock Trial Competition.

An original (and very popular) DVD is available from the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia. It can serve as an excellent resource for any school, coach, or attorney-coach in developing a program and for use in team training. The teaching film is approximately 60 minutes long and will take teams step-by-step through a mock trial. The DVD is also suitable for use in a law-related class. It features interviews with students, teacher, attorney coaches and supporters of the mock trial competition in Georgia, and trial footage.

Order form for "May It Please the Court" Mock Trial Video (DVD)(82 kb)

A one-minute, thirty-second video clip showing High School Mock Trial in action - courtesy of Georgia State Bar.

Click here for the NHSMTC, Inc. By-Laws (May 2008).

You should be aware that participation in mock trial can conflict with other activities. The calendars below are provided to assist you in identifying potential conflicts.

Click here for AP Exam scheduling information for 2010. There are schedule conflicts with this calendar on Friday, May 7, 2010, with exams for United State History and European History.

Click here for International Baccalaureate (IB) testing information. The IB testing schedule for 2010 is not available as of May 21, 2009.

Click here for the Interfaith Calendar - Primary sacred times for world religions for 2010. There are no schedule conflicts with this calendar.

The National High School Mock Trial Championship has been held over Mother´s Day weekend each year for over two decades. The schedule devised for the tournament was created and is currently in use in an effort to:
  • maximize the participation of state mock trial programs across the nation and around the world
  • maintain a level playing field for all teams registered for the competition
  • maintain the integrity of the scoring system
  • minimize time out of class for students and teachers
  • minimize conflict with academic testing
  • maximize the availability of real courtroom space for tournament rounds
  • maximize the availability of judging panel volunteers with the requisite high school mock trial experience
  • maximize the number of potential future host cities
  • maximize the availability of a large block of hotel space during the busy spring convention/prom/tourist season in many cities
Over three years of planning on the part of each host committee goes into each national tournament. The identities of the full field of competitors are not known until mid-April in the year that the tournament is held in early May. During the three years a host committee prepares to host the national tournament, state coordinators are provided with planning updates and schedule information in the bi-annual tournament newsletter, on the NHSMTC website, on a dedicated tournament host committee website and by verbal reports to the state coordinators gathered for the organization´s annual business meeting each May. State mock trial programs are fully aware of the each national tournament schedule well in advance of starting their state mock trial season each school year.

The Generic National Tournament Schedule

Wednesday of Tournament Week
  • (all day) Practice/Scrimmage rooms available at the host hotel (optional for all teams)

Thursday of Tournament Week
  • (all day) Practice/Scrimmage rooms available at the host hotel (optional for all teams)
  • (morning) NHSMTC, Inc. Board of Directors Meeting (required attendance for board members)
  • (afternoon) State Coordinator’s Round Table Discussion (optional attendance for state coordinators)
  • (afternoon) State Coordinator’s Meeting (required attendance for state coordinators)
  • (afternoon) Coach Orientation Meeting (attendance strongly suggested for at least 1 coach/team)
  • (afternoon) Timekeeper Orientation (required attendance for all student timekeepers)
  • (evening) Team Welcome Reception/Pin Exchange (official opening event of the national tournament for teams)

Friday of Tournament Week
  • (morning) Preliminary Round 1
  • (afternoon) Preliminary Round 2
  • (evening) Team Social Event

Saturday of Tournament Week
  • (morning) Preliminary Round 3
  • (afternoon) Preliminary Round 4
  • (afternoon) Announcement of Two Finalist Teams
  • (afternoon/evening) Championship Round
  • (evening) Awards Banquet

Sunday of Tournament Week
  • (morning) Team scoresheets available for pick-up

2004 - 2010 National High School Mock Trial Championship®. All rights reserved.

Denver, Colorado 1995 Chicago, Illinois 1994 Atlanta, Georgia 1993 Madison, Wisconsin 1992 New Orleans, Lousiana 1991 and 2003 Portland, Oregon 1990 Louisville, Kentucky 1989 Dallas, Texas 1988 and 2007 Washington, DC 1987 Phoenix, Arizona 1986 Lincoln, Nebraska 1985 and Omaha, Nebraska 2001 Des Moines, Iowa 1984 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1996 Nashville, Tennessee 1997 Albuquerque, New Mexico 1998 St. Louis, Missouri 1999 Columbia, South Carolina 2000 St. Paul, Minnesota 2002 Orlando, Florida 2004 Charlotte, North Carolina 2005 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 2006 Wilmington, Delaware 2008