For the 14th consecutive year, the Saint Louis University Undergraduate Mock Trial team qualified for the finals competition in St. Paul, Minn. SLU holds the distinction of being the only team in Missouri to possess such a continuous record of success.

During the past weekend, the Pre-Law program sent two teams to the regional Mock Trial competition at the Clayton City Courthouse. Each team competed in four rounds that spanned a two-day period.

As well as qualifying for finals, SLU students received individual honors. Junior Derek Johannsen earned the distinction of “Best Attorney,” while Sarah Schauerte, senior, and Rachel Milazzo, junior, were awarded “Best Witness.”

Dr. Charles Fleener serves as the coach and administrator of the Mock Trial teams, as well as being the director of the Pre-Law Program at SLU. A local St. Louis attorney, Brad Dede, has served as the attorney coach for the last five years.

“Regionals can be a very exhausting experience,” Fleener said. “But both teams performed exceptionally well this year.”

One of the two teams representing SLU received enough points throughout the competition to qualify for finals. This year the final round of the Mock Trial Competition will be held in St. Paul, Minn. during the weekend of March 15. The SLU team is one among 48 teams competing in Minnesota.

“Our team has to give up part of their spring break to participate, but at least we get to fly to St. Paul in the Billiken Express,” Fleener said. “Since Arts and Sciences have agreed to subsidize the trip, we don’t have to ride there in vans.”

Flying in the Billiken Express and competing against the top collegiate teams in the country are the pay-offs for a group of students that has worked hard all year.

Each year the American Mock Trial Association prepares a case to be argued across the country by various colleges and universities.

“The case is released in the fall, and we begin preparing for it through weekly meetings. We also do a series of skirmishes against other universities as a form of practice,” Fleener explained.

Students participating in Mock Trial are enrolled in the Pre-Law class, Intro to Trial Advocacy, taught by Fleener. The class is open to students on all levels and can be taken several times.

“Many students come in with valuable skills and talents from high school Mock Trial teams,” Fleener said. “Others have little experience but are eager to learn.”

The students on the team lead by Captain Amanda Davis will continue to prepare for the upcoming competition in March. Traditionally, teams from SLU have performed well against schools such as Howard University of D.C. and Northwestern.

“I am absolutely optimistic about the team’s performance,” Fleener said. “I know that they will positively represent SLU.”