Illinois State Invitational Competition

Ball State Mock Trial Association is a student organization in which students gain knowledge and experience in trial advocacy. Members read and study civil and criminal case files, and take on the roles of attorneys and witnesses. Mock Trial is as immersive as a club can get for students that dream about practicing the law and work tirelessly to pursue and accomplish their goals of becoming an attorney. We receive a 300-page case problem at the beginning of the year: we study it, sleep on it, and think about it constantly to come up with potential themes and theories for the prosecution or defense. We write direct and cross examinations, create opening statements and closing arguments, and study objections and rules of evidence, then perform the 3-hour trial against other universities. Passion is inherent in these students; it’s far too much work to not care extensively about this enriching and academically challenging activity. 

These students want to do the hard work. Having the opportunity to travel to other universities as part of a student team and compete against other university student teams is the highlight – it’s not only rewarding to pull off a seamless trial alongside brilliant peers, but the memories made can last a lifetime. However, this experience can unfortunately become pricey due to travel costs and expenses and can exclude students based on their unique financial situation. We are raising money to bring down those travel expenses so more students can take advantage of this unique, academically enriching, and future-brightening opportunity! 

A gift to the Mock Trial Association Fund will provide financial support for Mock Trial Association activities and student participation like an upcoming trip to the Illinois State Invitational Competition.

We are so excited to attend the Illinois State Invitational! We’ll be traveling to Normal, Illinois from November 14-16 to try our case for the first time against other schools this semester. However, it is a 3-day competition (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), whereas the majority of competitions that we attend are only 2 days (Saturday and Sunday). This gives us more opportunities to compete and learn from other teams, which is the purpose of Mock Trial and why we love it so much, but it also raises the cost to attend. 

*Any additional funds raised will go towards future Mock Trial Association projects or expenses*