Palmerton, Pleasant Valley and Marian Catholic are among the 322 teams from 277 high schools across the commonwealth that will be competing in district and regional levels of the statewide Mock Trial Competition this year. The state's mock trial program is in its 33rd year and considered one of the largest in the country.

The trials are sponsored by the Pennsylvania Bar Association Young Lawyers Division."Participation in the statewide mock trial competition is about much more than preparing to argue a legal case," said Justin A. Bayer of Norristown, chair of the association's Young Lawyers Division. "Preparing for mock trial builds critical thinking, effective presentation and dispute resolution skills, all of which can be helpful in future careers."During the competition, student teams consisting of eight members will be given the opportunity to argue both sides of a case in an actual courtroom before a judge.The students play almost every role in the trial including lawyers, witnesses, plaintiffs and defendants.Teams are assisted by teacher coaches and lawyer advisers in preparing for competition.Lawyers and community leaders serve as jurors for the mock trials.The juries determine the winners in each trial based on the teams' abilities to prepare their cases, present arguments and follow court rules.The district and regional levels of the competition will continue into March.At the conclusion of the local competitions, 14 high school mock trial teams will advance to the Pennsylvania Bar Association Statewide Mock Trial Championships on April 1 and 2, in Harrisburg.The winning team of the state championship will represent Pennsylvania in the national mock trial finals to be held May 12 through 16, in Boise, Idaho.The case before the mock court will center on a civil action to determine whether an insurance company will be forced to cover the costs of an injury to a person that occurred on a nature preserve.The case was written by Jonathan A. Grode of Philadelphia, Paul W. Kaufman of Philadelphia, Koltash and Stanford University student Talia Charme-Zane, an alumna of the Pennsylvania mock trial program.For more information about the statewide Mock Trial Championships and to read this year's case, visit the Young Lawyers Division's section of the PBA website at

http://www.pabar.org.