St. Charles East High School Mock Trial Team members in action

Mock Trials Offer Students a Day in the Legal Profession

Alana Policastro 4/28/2025 12:00AM

The 16^th Judicial Circuit hosted its annual high school mock trial tournament on Saturday, March 1, 2025. Kane County welcomed 14 total schools from several counties, including four Kane County schools. St. Charles East placed first, followed by Bartlett's A Team in second and Normal West in third. Kane County judges and staff volunteered their time for the weekend. The annual mock trial tournament provides students an opportunity to experience our justice system first-hand as they are assigned to a hypothetical criminal or civil trial. Each team member serves a distinct role, some as attorneys, others as the star witnesses. They present the case in accordance with Illinois law against another local school team after being coached by teachers from the schools and local attorneys to pick up expertise along the way.

Students arrived at 8 a.m. to add finishing touches to their cases. Chief Judge Villa gave opening remarks, and by 9 a.m., high school teams were trying their cases in front of 16th Judicial Circuit judges and attorneys. 16th Judicial Circuit judges, including Judge Julio Valdez, Judge Keith Johnson, and other Kane County staff, presided over several courtrooms.

Some schools have been sharpening their legal skill in and out of the classroom. “When we're recruiting for mock trial, we tell people it's like a sport. We are meeting all year long. We start meeting in August, right when we start school, and then we're meeting two times a week, every single week. Right before the State Tournament, we meet every single day for multiple hours after school. We always meet on the weekends. It's a lot," said Morrighan Hayes from tournament champion St. Charles East. Hayes also won an individual Outstanding Attorney award.

Lillian Dirickson of St. Charles East added, “We have about 25 people on our team. Every year, we keep growing. Our school's mock trial team was a big deal 10 years ago, and it became less popular. But then Morrighan joined, and then the next year, all of us joined, and it started to really grow. And we started to make a little community out of it. And this year, we've been winning tournaments and seeing results from our hard work."

While the competition is the main focus for students, they continue to grow their collaboration skills and friendships. “My favorite thing about mock trials is the overnight stays we do. It's just a great opportunity to bond with everybody, get a closer comradery. I think teamwork is of the essence. Having fun with each other is the essence of what this club is about. Sure, we do it to win and learn about the law, but we're also just doing it to have some fun," explained Rocco Ramos of St. Charles East, who won an Outstanding Witness award.

Uma Patel from South Elgin High School noted, “My favorite thing about mock trial is when we come to court, we can think on our feet. The nerves are fun-you never know what you're going to come into. In terms of preparing for it, teamwork, and everyone helping each other, reading through the case together is a great experience to learn." South Elgin High School had one of the largest teams at the tournament, having both an A and B team.

Nayla Demirovic from South Elgin described her team with pride. “Overall, we work together really well. The older seniors help us a lot. We all talk together. I couldn't have made it this far without everybody. With their help, we come together. It's a really nice dynamic."

In the closing ceremony, individuals and teams were awarded and wished good luck as they prepared for the state tournament held in March. The 16^th Judicial Circuit also held a college-level mock trial tournament the following weekend.

From left to right: South Elgin High School Mock Trial Team, St. Charles East High School Mock Trial Team, St. Charles North High School Mock Trial Team

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