2013 Mock Trials

Abington Heights wins District Mock Trial Competition

The Young Lawyers Division of the Lackawanna Bar Association proudly sponsors the local District Competition for District 3 of Region 5 of the Statewide High School Mock Trial Competition. Jennifer Menichini served as Coordinator for the Mock Trials this year, with Teddy Michel and Kim Moraski serving as Co-Coordinators.

Abington Heights, Carbondale Area, Dunmore, Holy Cross, Honesdale, Lackawanna Trail, Lakeland, Mid Valley, North Pocono, Scranton, Scranton Prep, Valley View, West Scranton and Western Wayne all participated in the local competition, which includes Bradford, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne, and Wyoming Counties.

These schools were among the 333 high school teams across Pennsylvania competing in the district-level of competition. Pennsylvania’s mock trial program is one of the largest in the nation.

This year’s District Competition concluded on Wednesday, February 13, 2013 with the Final Round trial between the team from Carbondale Area, who participated as the Prosecution, and the team from Abington Heights, who participated as the Defense. The Honorable Thomas I. Vanaskie, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, presided over the trial, which was held in the Federal Courthouse in Scranton.

A panel of twelve volunteer jurors scored the event, with a verdict in favor of Abington Heights. As the champion from District 3, Abington Heights will advance to the Regional Competition, which will include winners from other districts in the Northeastern Pennsylvania area.

The Regional Competition for Region 5 will occur in early March, with trials being held in the Federal Courthouse in Scranton. Due to the size of Region 5, the winner of the competition will advance, as well as the second place team, to the State Finals in Harrisburg, which are scheduled for the weekend of March 22^nd.