HARRISBURG (Jan. 8, 2008) - The Pennsylvania Bar Association Young Lawyers Division (PBA/YLD) has announced the start of its Statewide Mock Trial Competition. Beginning Jan. 28, 305 teams from 262 high schools across Pennsylvania will be competing in district and regional levels of the competition.

Pennsylvania's mock trial program, now in its twenty-fourth year, is one of the largest in the nation.

"The competition provides opportunities for Pennsylvania students to actively learn about courtroom procedures and the important communication and teamwork skills required to build and present a case," said William J. Higgins Jr. of Bedford, PBA/YLD chair and co-chair of Mock Trial Committee. "We're proud that our mock trials are much-anticipated competitive academic events for high schools across the state."

The district and regional levels of the competition will continue throughout February and March. At the conclusion of the local competitions, 12 high school mock trial teams will advance to the Pennsylvania Bar Association Statewide Mock Trial Championships, March 28 and 29, in Harrisburg. The winning team of the state championship will represent Pennsylvania in the national mock trial finals to be held in late spring in Wilmington, Delaware. Expenses for the winning team's trip will be funded by the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation.

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.

The additional co-chair of this year's program is Jennifer J. Clark of Scranton. This year's mock trial case, which centers on an alleged kidnapping, was written by Jonathan A. Grode, a fourth-year evening student at Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law. Jane E. Meyer, a prior chairperson of the PBA/YLD Mock Trial Committee and current member of the National High School Mock Trial Championship Board of Directors, completed the final version of the problem in collaboration with Grode.

Interested volunteers should contact the PBA's Maria Engles at 800-932-0311, Ext. 2223.

For more information on the 2008 Pennsylvania Bar Association Statewide Mock Trial Championships and to read this year's case, go to the Young Lawyers Division section of the PBA Web site at http://www.pabar.org.

Founded in 1895, the Pennsylvania Bar Association strives to promote justice, professional excellence and respect for the law; improve public understanding of the legal system; facilitate access to legal services; and serve the 29,000 lawyers who are members of the association.

2008 Statewide Mock Trial Competition Participating Schools

REGION 1 - ALLEGHENY
Baldwin High School
Bishop Canevin High School
Career Connections Charter High School
Chartiers Valley High School
City Charter High School
David B. Oliver High School
Eden Christian Academy
Elizabeth Forward High School
Fox Chapel Area High School
Gateway High School
Hillel Academy (two teams)
John A. Brashear High School
Montour High School
Mt. Lebanon High School
North Allegheny Senior High School
North Hills High School
Pine-Richland High School
Quaker Valley High School
Saint Joseph High School (two teams)
Schenley High School
Seton-LaSalle High School
Sewickley Academy
Shaler Area High School
South Fayette Township High School
Springdale Jr./Sr. High School
Taylor Allderdice High School
Thomas Jefferson High School
Upper St. Clair High School
West Mifflin High School
Woodland Hills High School

REGION 2 - NORTHWEST PA
District 1: (Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Lawrence)
Aliquippa High School
Ambridge Area High School
Beaver Area High School (two teams)
Blackhawk High School
Butler Area High School
Center High School
Freeport High School
Laurel High School
Monaca Jr./Sr. High School
Moniteau High School (two teams)
New Brighton Area Senior High School
Quigley Catholic High School
Riverside High School
Seneca Valley Intermediate High School
Seneca Valley Senior High School
Slippery Rock Area High School

District 2: (Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer, Venango, Warren)
Clarion High School
East High School (two teams)
Fort LeBoeuf High School
Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy (two teams)
Northwestern High School (two teams)
Strong Vincent High School

REGION 3 - SOUTHWEST PA
District 1: (Westmoreland)
Belle Vernon Area High School
Burrell High School
Derry Area High School
Franklin Regional High School
Greensburg Central Catholic High School
Greensburg Salem High School
Hempfield Area High School
Kiski Area High School
Mt. Pleasant Area High School
Valley High School

District 2: (Greene, Fayette, Washington)
Avella High School
Canon-McMillan High School
Charleroi Area High School
Connellsville Area Senior High School
Fort Cherry High School
Frazier High School
Laurel Highlands High School (two teams)
Peters Township High School
Ringgold High School
Trinity High School (two teams)
Washington High School

District 3: (Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Fulton, Huntingdon, Jefferson, Indiana, Mifflin, Somerset)
Altoona Area High School (two teams)
Bellwood-Antis High School
Brockway Area Jr./Sr. High School
Brookville Area High School (two teams)
Central Cambria High School
Central High School (two teams)
DuBois Central Catholic High School
Forest Hills High School
Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School (two teams)
Indiana Area Senior High School
Marion Center High School
Punxsutawney Area High School
Richland Senior High School
Tyrone Area High School

REGION 4 - NORTHCENTRAL PA
District 1: (Centre, Clearfield, Clinton)
Bald Eagle Area High School
Bellefonte Area High School
State College Area High School

District 2: (Union, Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, Tioga)
Mansfield Jr./Sr. High School
Montoursville High School
Selinsgrove Area High School
Williamsport Area High School

District 3: (Cameron, Elk, McKean, Potter)
Austin Area High School
Coudersport Jr./Sr. High School
Kane Area High School
Otto Eldred High School
Port Allegany High School
Ridgway Area High School

REGION 5 - NORTHEAST PA
District 1: (Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton, Schuylkill)
Antietam Middle-Senior High School
Bethlehem Catholic High School
Blue Mountain High School
Boyertown High School
Conrad Weiser High School
Easton Area High School
Exeter Senior High School
Fleetwood Area High School
Governor Mifflin High School
Liberty High School
Marian Catholic High School
Muhlenberg High School
Northampton High School
Notre Dame High School
Palmerton Area High School (two teams)
Pen Argyl Area High School
Pottsgrove High School
Saucon Valley High School
Schuylkill Valley High School
Whitehall High School

District 2: (Luzerne)
Hanover Area Jr./Sr. High School
Hazleton Area High School
Holy Redeemer High School
MMI Preparatory School (two teams)
Tunkhannock Area High School
Wyoming Seminary (two teams)

District 3: (Bradford, Lackawanna, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne, Wyoming)
Abington Heights High School
Carbondale Area High School
Dunmore High School
Holy Cross High School
Honesdale High School
Lakeland High School
Mid Valley High School
North Pocono High School
Saint Rose Academy
Scranton High School
Scranton Preparatory School
Valley View High School
West Scranton High School
Western Wayne High School

District 4: (Monroe, Pike)
Delaware Valley High School
East Stroudsburg High School - North
East Stroudsburg High School - South
Notre Dame High School
Pleasant Valley High School
Pocono Mountain East High School
Pocono Mountain West High School
Stroudsburg High School (two teams)
Wallenpaupack Area High School

REGION 6 - SOUTHCENTRAL PA
District 1: (Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Lebanon, Perry)
Big Spring High School
Bishop McDevitt High School
Carlisle High School
Central Dauphin High School
Cumberland Valley Christian School
Cumberland Valley High School (two teams)
Milton Hershey School
SciTech High School
Trinity High School (two teams)
West Perry High School

District 2: (York, Adams)
Central York High School
Dallastown Area High School
Eastern York High School
Kennard-Dale High School
Littlestown High School
Spring Grove High School (two teams)
West York Area High School
William Penn Senior High School
York Catholic High School
York Country Day School

District 3: (Lancaster)
Cocalico High School
Conestoga Valley High School
Ephrata High School
J.P. McCaskey High School
Lancaster Catholic High School
Lancaster Country Day School
Penn Manor High School
Warwick High School

REGION 7 - SOUTHEAST PA
District 1: (Chester)
Bayard Rustin High School (two teams)
Bishop Shanahan High School (two teams)
B. Reed Henderson High School (two teams)
Devon Preparatory School
Great Valley High School
Kennett High School
Malvern Preparatory School
Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School (two teams)
Phoenixville Area High School (two teams)
Unionville High School (two teams)
Villa Maria Academy High School
West Chester East High School (two teams)

District 2: (Delaware)
Academy of Notre Dame de Namur (two teams)
Archbishop John Carroll High School (two teams)
Archbishop Prendergast High School
Cardinal O'Hara High School
Garnet Valley High School
Merion Mercy Academy
Radnor High School
Ridley High School (two teams)
Strath Haven School

District 3: (Bucks)
Archbishop Wood High School
Bensalem High School
Bristol High School
Central Bucks East High School
Central Bucks South High School
Holy Ghost Preparatory School (two teams)
Neshaminy High School
New Hope-Solebury High School
Pennridge High School
Solebury School
Villa Joseph Marie High School
William Tennent High School

REGION 8 - PHILADELPHIA
A. Philip Randolph Career & Technical Academy
Archbishop Ryan High School
CAPA
Carver High School of Engineering & Science High School (two teams)
Central High School
Chestnut Hill Academy (two teams)
Constitution High School
Delaware Valley Charter High School
Father Judge High School
Franklin Learning Center
Freire Charter School
Friends Select School
Imhotep Institute Charter High School
J.R. Masterman High School
Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls
Monsignor Bonner High School
Nazareth Academy High School
New Media Technology Charter School
Northeast High School
Overbrook High School
Philadelphia High School for Business & Technology
Philadelphia Mennonite High School
Roman Catholic High School (two teams)
Saint Hubert Catholic High School
Saint Joseph's Preparatory School (two teams)
Samuel S. Fels High School
Simon Gratz High School
South Philadelphia High School
Springside School
Strawberry Mansion High School
Swenson Art and Technology High School
The Mathematic, Civics & Sciences Charter School
Thomas A. Edison High School
University City High School (two teams)
West Catholic High School
William Penn Charter School

REGION 9 - MONTGOMERY
Episcopal Academy
Gwynedd Mercy Academy (two teams)
Harriton High School
Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy
La Salle College High School (two teams)
Lower Merion High School
Lower Moreland High School (two teams)
Methacton High School (two teams)
Mount Saint Joseph Academy (two teams)
Norristown Area High School
North Penn High School
Plymouth Whitemarsh High School (two teams)
The Baldwin School
The Haverford School (two teams)
Upper Dublin High School
Wissahickon High School