Photographs of Students in Mock Trials at Ohio State University

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Trial testimony between Judge Skinner and Jan Schlichtmann

These photographs were taken during one of the first mock trial held in the Moot Courtroom in the Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University. The images show the arrangement of the courtroom, formality of the proceedings, and trial participants acting in a variety of roles. The images implicitly show how the assignments in learning modules are used as the basis for expert testimony and trial exhibits. In these mock trials, the judges were professors in the law school. The court recorders were students at a local technical school. The juries consisted of undergrads in the Ohio State Honors Program. The attorneys were law students taking a course in trial procedures and the expert witnesses were undergrads enrolled in the mock-trial course upon which this website is based. An alternative set-up could use a local courthouse on a Saturday with students in the mock-trial course serving as the attorneys under the direction of local attorneys and a local judge could serve as the trial judge.

Deposition of Expert Witnesses

Swearing in of an expert witness at his deposition

Opening Arguments

Opening statements by the plaintiffs' attorney

Opening statements by the Beatrice attorney

Opening statements by the W.R. Grace attorney

Direct Testimony

Direct examination of the plaintiffs' expert geologist

Direct examination of the plaintiffs' expert hydrogeologist

Direct examination of the W.R. Grace expert hydrogeologist

Sidebar: attorneys and judge

Exhibit presented during testimony

Cross Examination

Cross examination of the W.R. Grace expert hydrogeologist

Expert witness uses exhibit

Closing Statements

Closing arguments by the W.R. Grace attorney

Closing arguments by the Beatrice attorney

Closing arguments by the plaintiffs' attorney

Judge and Jury

The jury

The judge charges the jury

The jury foreperson announces the verdict