Student Legal Teams Ply Skills In Mock Trial Competitions

COURT HOUSE – It wasn’t night court that kept the lights burning in Courtroom B of Cape May County Superior Courthouse Jan. 18, it was a session of this year’s Vincent J. Appruzzese Mock Trial Competitions. 
The event is open to the public and is held Tuesdays and Thursdays in January beginning at 6:30 p.m. Entrance is via the west side doors.
The student team from Lower Cape May Regional High School, under the guidance of Tom Higgins and Barbara Bakely-Marino, esquire, matched legal skills against peers from Middle Township High School, under the guidance of Lisa Taylor, Kim Moore, and Lou DeLollis, esquire.
Judges for the Lower-Middle match were Alexis Batten and Louis Belasco.
The trial was similar to one that has become frequent in the real world: the opioid epidemic and strict liability drug distribution.
That State, that evening represented by Lower Cape May Regional’s team, attempted to prove that Dana Martin, a fictitious name, sold fentanyl that killed Zachary Simon, despite claims of innocence.
Throughout the evening, both schools’ teams adopted roles of prosecutor, defense counsel, witnesses, and jurors.
The competition was postponed Jan. 4 by the blizzard, and thus a makeup date is scheduled Feb. 1.
There will be six separate matches, with the best record being declared county champions.
In the action, Jan. 18, Lower Cape May Regional’s team won. As of Jan. 19, Lower was ahead of other contenders with four wins and no losses.
“Nearly two dozen local attorneys and judges volunteer their time to give these mock trial participants a real courtroom experience,” stated Brett Yore, attorney-competition coordinator.
Over 40 students from five county high schools are taking part in the competitions.
Schools and coaches are: Cape May County Technical, Matt Pleasants and Brian McEwing, esquire; Wildwood Catholic, Mary Kane and Chris Gillin-Schwartz, esquire; Lower Cape May Regional, Tom Higgins and Barbara Bakely-Marino, esquire; Middle Township, Kim Moore, Lisa Taylor and Lou DeLollis, esquire; and Cape Christian Academy, Don Gipple and Dara Pailey, esquire.
The local Mock Trial Competition is sponsored annually by the Cape May County Bar Association.