Order in the Court

For 32 Penn students, arguing is more than just something you do with your roommate or in philosophy recitation - it's a structured competition.

For those students, their affinity for arguing paid off last month at the Coast Guard Academy Mock Trial Tournament in New London, Conn., where one of Penn's four teams swept the competition by winning over all eight judges. One of the other three teams came in second with seven judges declaring them the winner.

Mock trial is a "unique form of debate" that is conducted in the style of a courtroom trial, said Wharton and Engineering senior Eric Van Nostrand, president of Penn Mock Trial.

The teams argue legal cases to judges by acting as both the lawyers and witnesses. In most instances, they work off a fictional set of facts, but there are competitions in which students argue real cases, Van Nostrand said.

The 32 members are then divided into four groups of eight. Spots on the A-team are reserved for the most experienced members, generally seniors, and the other three teams have students from all classes.

The second-place win was somewhat of a surprise victory for the young team, which is comprised of mostly freshmen and sophomores.

It was as if the other teams "brought milk into a bar," said College senior and treasurer of Penn Mock Trial Jared Lubin. The competitors "just weren't as strong as us."

Other schools that participated in the tournament included Yale University, Amherst College, University of Massachusetts and University of Connecticut.

The team, now in its tenth year, is unusual in that it is entirely student-run. Most mock trial teams around the country are headed by lawyers or faculty members, with law students acting as coaches.

The alumni from Penn Mock Trial also pursue diverse career paths such as the military and medical school, said Van Nostrand.

Wharton senior and team vice president Mitch VanZandt, for example, will do consulting with Citigroup after graduation this spring. Still, going to law school is "not something I would rule out," said the four-year team veteran.

Similarly, Lubin said he was looking into the possibility of going to law school.

The skills team members build can provide good training for law school. VanZandt said mock trial teaches participants how to present themselves and present a case, while law school emphasizes the "technical side" of the law.

Van Nostrand said the first-year students already have some of those skills before jo ining - the team, which accepts students by audition, looks for those "who are capable of thinking quickly on their feet" and "can deliver oral arguments well."

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