This month, Jim Thorpe and Palmerton high schools will join 250 teams from 203 high schools across Pennsylvania competing in a virtual setting in district and regional levels of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Statewide High School Mock Trial Competition sponsored by the association’s Young Lawyers Division.

“This mock trial competition is designed to challenge students’ critical thinking skills, effective presentation techniques and dispute resolution tactics,” said PBA Young Lawyers Division Chair Paul D. Edger. “All of these elements can help prepare students to be successful in any future workplace setting whether it involves the field of law or other business sectors.”

Now in its 39th year, Pennsylvania’s mock trial program is one of the largest in the nation.

During the competition, eight-member student teams are given the opportunity to argue both sides of the case before a judge. The students, who play the roles of lawyers, witnesses, plaintiffs and defendants, are assisted by teacher coaches and lawyer advisers in preparing for competition. Lawyers and community leaders serve as jurors and sometimes judges 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 throughout February and March. At the conclusion of the local competitions, 16 high school mock trial teams will advance to the PBA Statewide Mock Trial Championships, March 25 and 26. The winning team of the state championship will represent Pennsylvania in the national mock trial finals to be held virtually May 12-14.

This year’s hypothetical case is a criminal trial to determine whether the defendant is guilty of murdering a man of great wealth who was a former critical player in the horse-racing industry with an extensive list of connections.