Katie Ellington/Mount Vernon News
Members of the Danville Mock Trial team pose for a photo before practice. In the back row, from left, Ryan Lucas, Kaleigh Loyd, Vivian Hawk, Jackson Kidwell and Daniel Patrick. In the front row is Adeline Lucas, Karley Ackert and Faith Langdon. Not pictured are Abigail Porter, Calvin Huh, Natalie Smith, Sierra Arnal and Noah Huh. [request]
DANVILLE — Danville High School’s Mock Trial will be making history this week as the first Blue Devils delegation to participate in an international mock trial competition.
The team will be flying to Georgia this Thursday to compete in Empire Atlanta, one of Empire Mock Trial’s three annual competitions. These competitions consist of around 100 teams from the United States, Australia, Canada, China, Ireland, South Korea and the United Kingdom.
“We’re very excited,” said Brittany Whitney, mock trial coach and assistant city prosecutor for Mount Vernon Municipal Court. “I think it’s going to be a real opportunity for growth for them.”
Danville’s 13 member team hopes to outshine the competition in a fictional civil suit. The case examines whether or not a construction company that declined to test for toxic materials at the site of its newest apartment complex will be held liable after a tenant comes down with a potentially fatal disease.
The team has been preparing since July, using real case law and scientific studies to create their oral arguments.
The Blue Devils are regular attendees at mock trial state championships, but Atlanta may be their most challenging case yet.
“It’s factually more complex than they are used to handling. In addition to the legal aspects there’s a significant amount of science that they need to be familiar with as well,” said Whitney.
There will also be fiercer competition.
“I think with the normal season, there’s always a chance that we’re going to go up against a team that’s not as good as we are,” said senior Vivian Hawk. “With this, they’re all going to be as good if not better than us. I think that’s why I’m the most nervous.”
The case’s emphasis on medical science is another factor that makes this competition unique.
“It’s been interesting watching them learn this whole new vocabulary,” said Noel Alden, team coach and solicitor for the Village of Danville. The scientific studies students are using to craft their arguments are chock full of medical jargon and statistical analysis related to dilated cardiomyopathy, an incurable heart condition.
Whitney stated that the ability to develop expertise in a foreign subject is good preparation for a law career.
“It’s always good to be exposed to other disciplines and that’s kind of what being a lawyer is about,” she explained. “In addition to understanding the law that applies to that subject matter you have to understand the subject matter itself.”
Another challenging element is that, unlike during regular state contests, the team will be starting off with a pre-trial Daubert hearing. Both sides will offer arguments regarding whether a piece of evidence is relevant enough to be included in the trail.
“Each side is trying to argue whether this 2003 study is relevant and allowed to be in this case,” said Kidwell. “We’re arguing whether we can use it in our statements or not.”
More than scores will be at stake during the Daubert hearing — the next round of competition will be impacted by the outcome.
“Their trial strategy will have to be dependent on what evidence was admitted or not admitted,” explained Whitney.
Like other mock trial competitions, the case was designed to reflect contemporary, real-world issues.
“Clearly the world is more and more concerned about environmental impact of things that were done in the past,” said Alden. “I think most people understand that too much of anything can be bad. But when is there too much? What is the cost-benefit analysis of dealing with these issues?”
“It has us thinking more about, ‘This could actually happen,’” said Kidwell. “This is probably happening somewhere.”
The team consists of seniors Adeline Lucas, Vivian Hawk, Kaleigh Loyd, Karley Ackert, Abigail Porter, Calvin Huh and Daniel Patrick, juniors Faith Langdon and Jackson Kidwell, sophomores Natalie Smith and Sierra Arnal, and freshmen Ryan Lucas and Noah Huh.
The group is split in two, with six members on the plaintiff side and the remaining seven on the defendant.
When the team returns on Sept. 23, students will begin practicing for their regular season.
