HARRISBURG (Jan. 15, 2014) - Beginning this month, 336 teams from 282 high schools across Pennsylvania will be competing in district and regional levels of the Statewide Mock Trial Competition sponsored by the Pennsylvania Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.

Pennsylvania's mock trial program, now in its 31st year, is one of the largest in the nation.

"In the next few months, thousands of Pennsylvania students will improve their communication and critical-thinking skills by participating on high school mock trial teams," said Robert Datorre of Harrisburg, chair of the association's Young Lawyers Division.

"Years from now, looking back on their experiences, many of these students will rate the mock trial competitions as one of the top academic challenges of their educational careers. It is thanks to the thousands of hours of dedication, leadership and guidance from teachers, lawyers, judges and other volunteers that these competitions are possible. With that in mind, I encourage this year's student participants to take a moment to thank their teacher coaches, lawyer advisors and other volunteers who are making mock trial competition possible for them.

During 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 lawyer advisors in preparing for competition. Lawyers and community leaders serve as jurors for the mock 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 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 Pennsylvania Cable Network will record the final round of the competition for later airing statewide.

The winning team of the state championship will represent Pennsylvania in the national mock trial finals to be held May 8 - 10 in Madison, Wisconsin.

The Pennsylvania Bar Foundation, the charitable affiliate of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, will provide funding support for the statewide competition.

The co-chairs of the Mock Trial Executive Committee are Jonathan D. Koltash of Harrisburg and Traci L. Naugle of Altoona.

This year's hypothetical case is a civil trial to determine if a parent or a high school track coach is liable for the death of a student athlete who was taking performance-enhancing drugs.

The case was written by Jonathan A. Grode of Philadelphia, Paul W. Kaufman of Philadelphia, and Koltash, adapting, with permission, a mock trial case created by the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services and Education and the Young Lawyers of Arizona.

For more information about the 2014 Pennsylvania Bar Association Statewide Mock Trial Championships and to read this year's case, go to the Young Lawyers Division's section of the PBA website at http://www.pabar.org. Interested volunteers should contact Maria Engles of the Pennsylvania Bar Association at 800-932-0311, extension 2223.

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 27,000 lawyers who are members of the association.

Teams participating in the 2014 Statewide Mock Trial Competition are from the following schools:

REGION 1 - ALLEGHENY
Baldwin High School
Bethel Park High School
Career Connections Charter High School
Chartiers Valley High School
City Charter High School
Eden Christian Academy
Elizabeth Forward High School
Gateway High School
Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh
McKeesport Area High School
Montour High School
Mount Lebanon High School
North Allegheny Senior High School
Pine-Richland High School
Pittsburgh Allderdice High School (two teams)
Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12
Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy
Quaker Valley High School
Riverview Jr./Sr. High School
Saint Joseph High School
Seton-La Salle Catholic High School
Sewickley Academy
Shady Side Academy (two teams)
Shaler Area High School
South Fayette High School
Springdale Jr./Sr. High School
The Neighborhood Academy
Thomas Jefferson High School
Upper St. Clair High School
Vincentian Academy
West Allegheny High School
Winchester Thurston School
Woodland Hills High School

REGION 2 - NORTHWEST PA
District 1: (Armstrong, Beaver, Butler and Lawrence)
Ambridge Area High School
Beaver Area High School (three teams)
Blackhawk High School
Butler Area High School (two teams)
Central Valley High School
Freeport Area High School
Hopewell High School
Lincoln High School
Moniteau High School
New Brighton Area Senior High School
New Castle High School
Quigley Catholic High School
Riverside High School
Seneca Valley Intermediate High School
Seneca Valley Senior High School
Wilmington Area High School

District 2: (Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer, Venango and Warren)
Cambridge Springs High School
Conneaut Area Senior High School (two teams)
Fort LeBoeuf High School
McDowell High School (two teams)
Meadville Area Senior High School
Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy (two teams)
Northwestern High School (two teams)
Oil City Area High School
Saegertown High School
Sheffield Area Middle/High School (two teams)
Warren Area High School
Youngsville High School (two teams)

REGION 3 - SOUTHWEST PA
District 1: (Westmoreland)
Derry Area High School
Franklin Regional Senior High School
Greensburg Salem High School
Kiski Area High School
Penn-Trafford High School
Somerset Area High School
Southmoreland High School
Valley High School

District 2: (Fayette, Greene and Washington)
Brownsville Area High School
Canon-McMillan High School
Charleroi High School
Connellsville Area Senior High School (two teams)
Fort Cherry Jr./Sr. High School
Frazier School District
Laurel Highlands High School (two teams)
Peters Township High School
Ringgold High School
Trinity High School (two teams)
Washington High School
West Greene High School

District 3: (Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Fulton, Huntingdon, Jefferson, Indiana, Mifflin and Somerset)
Altoona Area High School (two teams)
Bedford Area High School
Bellwood-Antis High School
Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic High School
Bishop McCort Catholic High School (two teams)
Brockway Area Jr./Sr. High School
Central Cambria High School
Central High School
DuBois Area High School
DuBois Central Catholic High School
Forest Hills High School
Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School
Huntingdon Area High School
Indiana Senior High School
Richland Senior High School
Tyrone Area High School
Westmont Hilltop High School
Windber Area High School

REGION 4 - NORTHCENTRAL PA
District 1: (Centre, Clearfield and Clinton)
Bald Eagle Area High School
Bellefonte Area High School
Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy
State College Area High School

District 2: (Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, Tioga and Union)
Jersey Shore Area Senior High School
Lewisburg Area High School
Mansfield Jr./Sr. High School
Montoursville Area High School
Wellsboro Area High School
Williamson Jr./Sr. High School

District 3: (Cameron, Elk, McKean and Potter)
Coudersport Jr./Sr. High School
Kane Area High School (two teams)
Northern Potter High School
Oswayo Valley High School
Otto-Eldred High School
Port Allegany High School
Ridgway Area High School
Smethport Area High School

REGION 5 - NORTHEAST I
District 1: (Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton and Schuylkill)
Allentown Central Catholic High School
Antietam Middle-Senior High School
Bethlehem Catholic High School
Blue Mountain High School
Boyertown Area Senior High School
Brandywine Heights High School (two teams)
Conrad Weiser Area High School
Easton Area High School
Exeter Twp. Sr. High School
Fleetwood Area High School
Governor Mifflin High School
Liberty High School
Marian Catholic High School
Nazareth Area High School
Notre Dame High School
Palmerton Area High School
Parkland High School
Pen Argyl High School
Saucon Valley High School
Schuylkill Valley High School
Tulpehocken High School
Wilson Senior High School

District 2: (Luzerne)
Hanover Area Jr./Sr. High School
Hazleton Area High School
Holy Redeemer High School
MMI Preparatory School
Pittston Area Senior High School
Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School

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

District 2: (Adams and York)
Central York High School
Dover Area High School
Kennard-Dale High School
Littlestown High School
Red Lion Area Senior High School
Spring Grove High School (three teams)
West York Area High School
York Catholic High School

District 3: (Lancaster)
Conestoga Valley High School
J.P. McCaskey High School (two teams)
Lancaster Catholic High School
Lancaster Country Day School
Penn Manor High School
Solanco High School

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

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
Delaware County Christian School
Merion Mercy Academy (two teams)
Monsignor Bonner High School
Penn Wood High School (two teams)
Ridley High School (two teams)
Springfield High School
Strath Haven High School (two teams)
The Episcopal Academy
Upper Darby High School

District 3: (Bucks)
Archbishop Wood High School (two teams)
Bensalem High School
Bristol High School
Central Bucks High School East
Central Bucks High School South
Central Bucks High School West
Council Rock High School North
Holicong Middle School
Holy Ghost Preparatory School (two teams)
Lenape Middle School (two teams)
New Hope-Solebury High School
Pennridge High School

REGION 8 - PHILADELPHIA
A. Philip Randolph Career and Technical High School
Abraham Lincoln High School
Boys' Latin of Philadelphia Charter School
CAPA
Central High School
Constitution High School (two teams)
Father Judge High School
First Philadelphia Preparatory Charter High School
Franklin Learning Center High School
Freire Charter School
Furness High School
G.W. Carver High School of Engineering and Science
Germantown Friends School (three teams)
Girard Academic Music Program
Girard College High School (two teams)
Honickman Learning Center
Imhotep Institute Charter High School
J.R. Masterman High School
KIPP DuBois Collegiate Academy
Nazareth Academy High School (two teams)
Parkway Northwest High School
Philadelphia Electrical & Technology Charter High School
Roman Catholic High School (three teams)
Saint Joseph's Preparatory School (three teams)
Science Leadership Academy @ Beeber
Springside Chestnut Hill Academy
Ss. Neumann-Goretti High School
Swenson Arts & Technology High School
The Mathematics, Civics & Sciences Charter School
William Penn Charter School (two teams)

REGION 9 - MONTGOMERY
Abington Friends School (two teams)
Abington Senior High School
Friends Central School (two teams)
Germantown Academy
Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School
Harriton High School
Hatboro-Horsham High School
Jenkintown High School
Kohelet Yeshiva High School
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
Philadelphia-Montgomery Christian Academy
Plymouth Whitemarsh High School (two teams)
Pottsgrove High School
The Baldwin School
The Haverford School (two teams)
The Hill School
Upper Dublin High School
Wissahickon High School (two teams)

REGION 10 - NORTHEAST II
District 1: (Bradford, Lackawanna, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming)
Abington Heights High School
Carbondale Area Jr./Sr. High School
Dunmore High School
Forest City Regional High School
Holy Cross High School
Honesdale High School
Lakeland Jr./Sr. High School
Mid Valley High School
North Pocono High School
Scranton High School
Scranton Preparatory School
Valley View High School
West Scranton High School
Western Wayne High School

District 2: (Monroe and Pike)
Delaware Valley High School
East Stroudsburg High School South
Notre Dame High School
Pleasant Valley High School
Pocono Mountain East High School
Pocono Mountain West High School
Wallenpaupack Area High School