Erie students put their law skills to the test at ECBA mock trial competition
Some of the region's best and brightest high school students got an inside look at our judicial system.
Over the past two days, the Erie County Bar Association has hosted a mock trial competition at the Erie County Courthouse.
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About 100 students from six regional high schools competed and if it weren't for their young faces, you'd might just mistake them for actual attorney's based on their arguments.
Imagine you're sitting in a courtroom for a trial.
Witnesses are being questioned about the actions of a defendant, corroborating evidence, and giving in to disclosing information after being grilled by attorneys.
But as arguments start to really hold their ground, you realize that these convincing arguments are coming from high school students who have practiced and researched for weeks to get ready for a mock trial competition.
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'The mock trial event here teaches a lot of the students definite qualities on time management, personal responsibility, and it really tasks you to digging into all of the paperwork, statements and really close analysis and formulating your argument on top of that,' said Ben McCrory, the 'prosecution attorney' from Northwestern High School.
Students directly took on the roles of attorneys, witnesses and timekeepers as they acted out a civil or criminal trial as both the prosecution and defense and pled their case to the jury which consisted of Erie County Bar Association practicing attorneys and judges.
'The level of commitment by the kids is really exceptional for 17, 18, maybe even 19 years old and the bravery it takes to get up in front of a mock jury, a mock judge, and all of your friends and family watching. I really commend them for the time they spent, their preparation,' said Lisa Presta, a senior partner at MacDonald, Illig, Jones & Britton LLP.
One of the teams competing was from Northwestern High School and for some of the students, it was their first time ever in a courtroom.
This was the first competition for the new coach of the mock trial team he said he was just as nervous in the courtroom as his students probably were but was proud of their accomplishments.
'How you raise objections in the courtroom, how you craft your opening arguments and your questioning, and closing statements. It's been a lot of fun getting to learn through it with them,' said Zach Petty, mock trial advisor and head coach at Northwestern High School.
Teams that advance from this competition will compete in Harrisburg for a chance to represent Pennsylvania in the National High School Mock Trial Championship.
'And they take away that kind of advocacy and verbal skills that you really hope is going to continue to increase with the next generation,' Presta said.
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'It's truly been a great experience. I was unsure how it was going to go, but it's been one of the best groups and experiences that I've had in my high school career,' McCrory went on to say.
Students didn't immediately hear the verdict after the trial but they'll find out on Friday if their arguments held water in the eyes of the jurors.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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