Mock Trial Team

Learn to be a lawyer or a witness in the American trial system with this year-long intensive after-school academic program. The highly ranked Dwight Mock Trial Team competes in the state-wide New York Bar Association Mock Trial Tournament and is coached by Mr. Wiesenfeld, the Head of the English Department and a former prosecutor who has conducted numerous jury trials throughout his career. The team focuses on all aspects of skill development with respect to public speaking and trial advocacy, including lessons and activities on oral and written persuasion; the foundational elements of American trial law, such as the rules of evidence and burdens of proof; and all components of a jury trial, for both student-attorneys and student-witnesses: pre-trial motions, opening statements, direct examinations, cross examinations, objections, rebuttals, and closing arguments. This is a full school year commitment.