Patrick Henry College's "Amber" Mock Trial team earned a bid to the National Championship Tournament with a 9–2–1 record at the Opening Round Championship Series (ORCS)—an opportunity reserved for only the top teams nationwide.
Competing against elite programs such as the University of Virginia and Georgia Institute of Technology, PHC's Mock Trial students once again demonstrated that they can go toe-to-toe with the best teams in the country.
On top of team success, students also demonstrated individual excellence:
Hosted by the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA), collegiate mock trial is among the most competitive academic activities in the nation. More than 700 teams from over 400 universities—including Harvard, Yale, Tufts, and the University of Chicago—compete each year. From that field, only 48 teams advance to the National Championship.
ORCS is the qualifying round where those final bids are earned—and PHC rose to the challenge. This April, PHC will compete among the best teams for the national title in Washington, D.C., at George Washington University.
Mock Trial at PHC provides a rigorous environment where students develop valuable skills.
Teams of 6–10 students prepare and perform jury trials in intense, three-hour competitions where every detail is scored. Students play the roles of attorneys and witnesses and prepare cases—including opening and closing arguments, witness testimony, and direct- and cross-examinations.
Pre-Law students find mock trial valuable for the introduction it provides to trial advocacy, procedure, case-building, and federal rules of evidence. Even students with no interest in law school benefit from Mock Trial by developing public speaking skills, critical thinking, and teamwork.
PHC's Mock Trial program has a track record of excellence:
PHC Mock Trial produces graduates who think quickly, argue persuasively, and perform under pressure, setting them apart in any field they are called to.
Patrick Henry College exists to glorify God by challenging the status quo in higher education, lifting high both faith and reason within a rigorous academic environment; thereby preserving for posterity the ideals behind the "noble experiment in ordered liberty" that is the foundation of America.