Nearly 400 of the youngest and brightest legal minds in the country will descend upon the Downtown Superior Court Complex to compete in the 2025 Phoenix National High School Mock Trial Championship presented by the Arizona Bar Foundation.
The competition, last held in Arizona in 2011, will begin on May 9 and feature 48 teams from South Korea, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and other U.S. territories as well as squads from throughout the United States. Veritas Preparatory Academy, Arizona’s state champion, and Tanque Verde High School, Arizona’s runner-up, will represent Arizona.
“Mock Trial teaches young people critical thinking and advocacy skills,” said Associate Presiding Judge Pamela Gates. “The program asks high school students to digest a complex set of facts and present the case to a judge and jury. As a former participant and coach, I watched the transformation of sometimes argumentative students into brilliant, articulate, persuasive legal advocates, effectively supporting their client’s position. It’s an honor to host this event in Arizona. We appreciate our partnership with the Arizona Bar Foundation and welcome all mock trial attendees to downtown Phoenix.”
The teams will compete in a four-round mock trial tournament, culminating with the final two teams battling for the national championship in the ceremonial courtroom in the Old Courthouse, 125 W. Washington on May 10 at 5:00 p.m. Judging the event will be 150 judicial officers and attorneys from Arizona and around the country. Superior Court Judge Dewain Fox is the Host Director coordinating the event.
The championship will be livestreamed here:
https://www.youtube.com/live/nlCUJL5buZo?si=3Durdd0eh53C_8xl
“The Arizona Bar Foundation has been administrating the state Mock Trial program since the mid-80s,” said Chief Operating Officer, Lara Slifko. “A partnership program with the State Bar of Arizona, the program would not function without Judge Dewain Fox, Lance Broberg, Judge Pam Gates, and Bill Gates. We are so excited to host this year and to see these amazing students – truly the best of the best.”
Since Phoenix is the host city, the 2025 competition’s theme is State 48 and the Fourth Estate. The event coincides with the 50th anniversary of the tragic murder of Arizona Republic Reporter Don Bolles. The assassination of Don Bolles was an important event in Phoenix’s history that remains a topic of discussion and highlights the importance of news reporting to a healthy democracy. Bolles’ death was the inspiration for the original case materials prepared for the competition.
As part of the event, students will be treated to a panel discussion about freedom of the press and the Fourth Estate at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The panel discussion will feature attorneys and journalists who will share their personal experiences and those of their clients who have faced intimidation and threats for speaking out against power. The discussion also will highlight the courts’ role in protecting First Amendment rights and examine defamation laws that safeguard reputations. Mock trial students will have the opportunity to engage with panelists through a Q&A session.
In addition to the mock trial competition, 10 student journalists and 20 courtroom sketch artists will be covering the mock trial competition and competing against one another. The competition will conclude with an award ceremony on May 10 at the Hyatt Regency, honoring the top attorneys, mock trial teams, courtroom artists and journalists. To learn more about the event, please visit: https://www.nationalmocktrial.org/
The Arizona Bar Foundation strives to prepare Arizona youth for civic responsibility and providing access to justice for Arizonans most in need.