The San Francisco County Mock Trial program is one of the Diversity Pipeline Programs of the Justice and Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco. The program is a collaboration with the courthouse, San Francisco Unified School District, and private schools. High school teams compete in the trial of a hypothetical criminal case. Each school fields a team of students to act as lawyers, witnesses, and bailiff. Students prepare their case based on a packet of witness statements and evidence.
Lawyers volunteer in the fall to coach students. They teach students the fundamentals of persuasive public speaking and evidence advocacy leading up to the city-wide competition.
During the competition attorneys volunteer to act as scorers and judges and critique students' performance. The citywide competition takes place at San Francisco Superior Court over several evenings in February. The winning team goes on to represent San Francisco in the statewide competition in March. The winner of the statewide competition represents California in the national competition in May.
In 2024, we were able to return in person for the first time since the pandemic. We also introduced private schools and had the following 8 schools compete:
- Balboa High School
- Drew School
- Lincoln
- Lowell
- Marshall
- School of the Arts
- Ignatius
- Wallenberg
The winner of the San Francisco County Mock Trial competition was St. Ignatius College Prep, who went on to compete at the State competition in L.A. County. The winner of the courtroom artist contest was a student from School of the Arts, who also went on to compete at the State competition.
How to Get Involved
Here are some ways to get involved to support the Mock Trial Program:
- Volunteer Judge/Scorer: During the county competition in February, volunteer attorneys, law students, and paralegals volunteer to judge and scorer the competition in the County Courthouse held on Tuesday/Thursday evenings starting at 5:30pm. Volunteer attorneys qualify to receive 0.5 hrs of MCLE for each evening. Orientation is provided at the beginning of the competition each evening. Contact diversity@sfbar.org for more information.
- Mock Trial Attorney Coach: From August – January attorneys volunteer to coach mock trial teams. Attorneys also qualify for MCLE. Contact diversity@sfbar.org for more information.
- Sponsor a School: Law firms can sponsor a school by providing space for attorney coaches to train the team, provide volunteer attorney coaches, and assist with courtroom exhibits. Contact diversity@sfbar.org for more information.
- Host the Mock Trial Celebration: In April, at the end of the season we have a reception to celebrate the students that participated and issue awards. Contact diversity@sfbar.org for more information to become a host.
