HARRISBURG (March 24, 2004) � Twelve Pennsylvania high school mock trial teams will advance to the Pennsylvania Bar Association Statewide Mock Trial Championships March 26-27 at the Dauphin County Courthouse, Harrisburg, Pa. The winner of the state championship will represent Pennsylvania in the national mock trial finals in May in Orlando, Fla.

�The Pennsylvania Bar Association Young Lawyers Division sponsors this competition to give Pennsylvania high school students first-hand experience with the American justice system,� said Judge Todd Seelig, PBA/YLD chair. �Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, the mock trial competition has become an important academic competitive event for high schools across the commonwealth. It provides students with an opportunity to develop important communication skills, learn courtroom procedure and work together as a team.�

All twelve teams will compete in both quarterfinal rounds on Friday, March 26 at 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. at the Dauphin County Courthouse. The four winning teams of the quarterfinal rounds will advance to the semifinal round on Saturday, March 27 at 8:30 a.m. at the Dauphin County Courthouse. The state championship round will take place at noon on Saturday, March 27 in the Pennsylvania Senate Chamber with Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Russell M. Nigro presiding.

This year, over 260 high schools/teams competed in the district and regional levels of Pennsylvania�s mock trial competition � one of the largest in the nation. The same case, which is used throughout the state in all mock trial competitions, centers around an alleged car theft by a student suffering from Asperger�s Syndrome.

Through the competition, eight-member student teams are given the opportunity to argue both sides of the case in an actual courtroom before a judge. The students, who play the roles of lawyers, witnesses, plaintiffs and defendants, are assisted by teacher coaches and attorney advisors in preparing for competition. Volunteer attorneys and community leaders serve as jurors in the trials. The juries determine the winners in each trial based on the teams� abilities to prepare their cases, present arguments and follow court rules.

For more information on the 2004 Pennsylvania Bar Association Statewide Mock Trial Championships or to read this year�s case, click here - www.pabar.org/yldstatewidemock.asp.