RALEIGH — Twenty-two teams of first-year Campbell Law students will participate this weekend (Feb. 8-10) in the 2019 Kilpatrick Townsend 1L Mock Trial Competition at the University of North Carolina School of Law.
Ninety first-year students from the state’s six law schools are participating in the competition. This year a total of 38 teams will compete at Kilpatrick, with Campbell Law sending the largest number of teams, according to organizers.
The Kilpatrick competition offers a unique chance for students to gain first-hand trial advocacy experience in a friendly, open setting. All first-year students attending North Carolina law schools are eligible to participate in the competition. Teams of students together prepare both the plaintiff or prosecution and defense sides of the case using witness statements and evidentiary exhibits contained in a pre-released case packet.
At the competition, every team participates in two preliminary rounds, presenting their plaintiff or prosecution case-in-chief in one, and their defense case-in-chief in the other. Eight teams advance to the quarterfinal round, four to the semifinal round, and two to the final round. Though inherently competitive, the competition is designed to be an accessible, low-stress learning opportunity for any student interested in litigation, regardless of their experience level.