The University of Richmond's mock trial team established itself as a national power in the courtroom at the National Championship Tournament (formerly called the Gold Flight National) this weekend in Des Moines, Iowa, finishing eighth in its division.
This year's finish marks the highest finish ever for the team, which just completed its most successful season to date, said captain Katy Groover, an attorney on the team. The team also finished higher than any other team from Virginia, including two-time national champion University of Virginia. Of the 610 teams that competed this year, Richmond advanced to the final 48 teams, which is equivalent to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Men's Basketball Championships, she said.
Richmond's first team, which participated in the tournament, consists of Groover, Bill Cable, Andrew Slater, Tim Patterson, Dan Rudary, Rosie Carey and Taylor Larson. Richmond also has another team, which competes alongside team one, but it did not qualify for the tournament.
Mock Trial is an activity that earns its participants one half-unit of credit and allows them to learn the intricacies of courtroom procedure. All teams are given an identical 100-page case brief in August with a summary of an event, witness affidavits, evidence, law and rules of evidence, Groover said. After teams prepare a case study for the prosecution and defense, they compete against one another and are rated by real judges and attorneys based on how well they perform.
Groover described Mock Trial as "'Law and Order' without the drama."
The team meets during the week with its coach, Don Martin, an attorney at McGuire-Woods LLP. Team members practice skills needed in a courtroom, including how to deliver opening statements and examine witnesses, Slater said.
Groover said that Mock Trial attracted a diverse cross-section of students, ranging from those interested in law to those interested in theater, because it allowed students to act out a character based on an affidavit.
"Mock Trial teaches you how to speak persuasively, think on your feet and work in a team environment that is tough to find outside of sports," Martin wrote in an e-mail. "Mock Trial is for everyone and is a lot of fun."
Earlier during the year, Richmond won the Duke Invitational and the Super Regional, which allowed the team to advance to finals competition in Des Moines. Members of the team also added to their trophy cases this season: Groover won five best attorney awards; Cable won three best witness awards; and Brian Brower, Slater and Patterson each won a best attorney award.
Out of 610 mock trial teams in the country, with each team featuring three attorneys, Martin praised Groover as one of the best, if not the best, attorney in the country.
"I lost count of the best attorney awards she has won this season," Martin said, "but I know she has at least five, and she won a best attorney award at the national championship, making her an All-American. She is the foundation upon which this team is built."
The team's other captain, Cable, played five different witnesses this season, which provided the team with immense flexibility, Martin said. Cable is also the source of morale for the team and it would not be the same without him, he said.
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Before this year, Richmond had never won a tournament outside of Richmond, but this year, it won two and came in second place in two others, Martin said. Going into this year, team members expressed concern over the quality of the team, Groover said.
"A lot of our first team and the team in general consists of juniors, and we thought that with juniors going abroad that we'd have our worst year yet," Groover said. "Luckily, our team worked hard, worked together and made it work."
Patterson and Slater rose to the occasion this year, joining Groover in one of the best attorney lineups in the country, Martin said.
This season surpassed all expectations, Groover said, as Richmond finished ahead of prominent schools, including Harvard University, Princeton University, Columbia University, the University of Notre Dame and Vanderbilt University this season. With success comes increased prominence and respect from other schools, and Richmond plans to host its own tournament - the Spider Invitational - this fall, she said.
Groover said she was looking forward to building on this year's success next year, as there are no graduating seniors on the first team. She said she hoped to recruit more participants, in anticipation of seniors graduating at the end of next year.
"But we do return everyone from the squad that just finished eighth place, and I know lots of other schools lost talent to graduation," Martin said. "Our goal every year is to win the national championship. You can never expect that, but we know that we can do it.
"Anything less will be a disappointment."
Contact staff writer Jimmy Young at jimmy.young@richmond.edu
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