The Mock Trial attorneys met on Feb. 5 to practice opening and closing speeches before county competitions at the Hamilton County Courthouse.

Robert Browning, Mock Trial sponsor and business teacher, said that the current county competition is the gateway to the county finals.

“The next few Wednesdays we will continue to have cases at the Hamilton County Court, then if we do well, since it’s kind of like a play-in, the top eight teams will go to the county tournament,” Browning said. “I have enjoyed watching them and being able to critique and comment on their performance, whether it’s opening statement, closing argument, examinations, or just questions like ‘what objections should I make here’ or ‘if they object here what’s my response.’”

Rebecca Lee, Mock Trial president and senior, said the teams have been preparing a lot for the upcoming competitions.

“We had a deep case breakdown to prepare for the upcoming trials and state regionals, which start on Feb. 17,” Lee said. “It’s a little nerve wracking, but I’ve done it before and we’ve prepared a lot so we are really looking forward to it.”