Working to become the new powerhouse club at McLean this year, the Mock Trial club is garnering attention and planning to start competing across the school district.

The club is based on the dynamics of a real court trial, with members acting out the different roles in the courtroom and competing against schools from all over the state and country.

“[Mock Trial Club is] like another branch of Model UN and Debate, but it’s different in the sense that it’s a court case, and you’re acting [it] out as if you were in front of a judge,” said senior Aarushi Desai, co-president and co-founder of the club.

Both Desai and her co-president, senior Grace Li, are making a strong case that the benefits of the Mock Trial Club—better public speaking, understanding of American government and the judicial system, knowledge of one’s rights— could be greatly appreciated throughout McLean.

“At other schools it’s like Model UN…it’s as big as that,” said AP Government teacher Julia Braxton, Mock Trial Club sponsor. “[The founders] found that this was a gap at [McLean]. We didn’t have this club and they thought it was something that people could benefit from because they’d seen other schools do it.”

In the eyes of the founders, there’s no objection that the skills and knowledge gained from Mock Trial are applicable beyond just the walls of McLean High School.

“I think it’s a new thing that the Highlanders haven’t really experienced because there weren’t any opportunities at McLean to learn about the law and legal system, and I know a bunch of people who are interested in becoming attorneys, or just [want] to learn about how it works…so this is just another way that they’ll be more knowledgeable,” Desai said.

The club was only started early last year, but there’s probable cause that it is about to take McLean by storm.

“We haven’t really done any competitions yet because it’s fairly new and we need a dedicated team to actually start competitions, but we plan to compete with local schools like TJ and Langley,” Desai said.

As they are currently working to raise interest in the club, the jury’s still out on when these competitions may take place.

“This might be another kind of… foundational year so that we can get to the point where we do competitions, but that is the eventual goal with possibly one or two happening this year,” Braxton said.

The Mock Trial club welcomes anyone looking to learn more about government, the law, crime investigation, or public speaking in a fun and interactive way. Meetings take place every Wednesday in Braxton’s room, adjourning after an hour, and are open to all grades.

“It’s a very tight knit community; we’re very friendly, we basically just have a good time, eat some food, and discuss hypothetical court cases and how we’d argue them,” Li said.

Plaintiff or defendant, future lawyer or true crime enthusiast, this club was built for everybody who just wants to discover the ins and outs of the courtroom.

“It’s interesting, but there’s also something to be learned from it. It’s not just like a hobby club,” Braxton said. “It’s a club that actually has real world implications and real world connections that you can make.”