Attorney Preparation and Case Mastery
How to prepare as a mock trial attorney — from analyzing the case packet to building examination outlines to anticipating the opposition's strategy.
Breaking Down the Case Packet
The case packet is the foundation of everything in mock trial. It contains the stipulations, the charge or complaint, witness affidavits for both sides, exhibits, applicable rules of evidence, and sometimes jury instructions or legal standards. Your first task as an attorney is to read the entire packet at least three times before writing a single question.
On your first read, absorb the overall narrative. What happened? Who are the key players? What is each side claiming? On your second read, start annotating. Mark every fact that supports your side, every fact that hurts your side, every inconsistency between witnesses, and every gap in the evidence. On your third read, focus on the legal standards. What elements must be proven? What burden applies? Which facts map to which elements?
Create a fact chart: a spreadsheet or table that lists each key fact, which witness or exhibit establishes it, whether it helps the prosecution/plaintiff or the defense, and whether it is disputed. This chart becomes your reference document for building examinations, planning objections, and drafting your opening and closing. The teams that win championships are the ones who know the case packet better than anyone else in the room.
