HARRISBURG, Pa. (March 13, 2024) — This month, 262 teams from 215 high schools across Pennsylvania will be competing in-person in district and regional levels of the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) Statewide High School Mock Trial Competition sponsored by the association’s Young Lawyers Division.
Now in its 41st year, Pennsylvania’s mock trial program is one of the largest in the nation.
During the competition, eight-member student teams are given the opportunity to argue both sides of the case 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 and sometimes judges 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 run through March. At the conclusion of the local competitions, 14 high school mock trial teams will advance to the PBA Statewide Mock Trial Championships, March 22-23.
The winning team of the state championship will represent Pennsylvania in the national mock trial finals to be held in-person May 3-4 in Wilmington, Delaware.
This year’s case is a trial to determine who murdered a competitive small business owner, Geoffrey Esper, and his dog and why. Esper was a well-known business owner in Susquehannock Square in Wisawe, Pennsylvania. He competed with other businesses. In approximately one month’s time, Esper went from being the winner of a substantial scratch-off lottery ticket prize to a murder victim. Modern capitalism, the American dream, and competition are part of this case of friendly competition turning deadly.
The case was adapted by Jonathan A. Grode, Paul W. Kaufman and the Mock Trial Executive Committee from materials originally written by the State Bar of Georgia.
For more information about the 2024 PBA Statewide Mock Trial Championships and to read this year’s case, visit https://www.pabar.org/site/For-the-Public/Mock-Trial-Competition.
Teams participating in the 2024 Statewide Mock Trial Competition are from the following schools:
REGION 1
Allegheny County
- Allderdice High School
- Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh
- Avonworth High School
- Eden Christian Academy
- Fox Chapel Area High School (Two Teams)
- Gateway High School
- Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh
- Montour High School
- Moon Area High School
- Mount Lebanon High School (Two Teams)
- Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School
- Pine-Richland High School
- Pittsburgh CAPA (Two Teams)
- Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy
- Quaker Valley High School
- Seton-LaSalle High School (Two Teams)
- Sewickley Academy
- Shady Side Academy
- Shaler Area High School
- South Fayette High School
- South Park High School
- The Neighborhood Academy
- Thomas Jefferson High School
- Upper St. Clair High School
- West Mifflin High School
- Winchester Thurston School
- Woodland Hills High School
REGION 2
Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Lawrence counties
- Beaver Area High School
- Blackhawk High School
- Butler Area Senior High School (Two Teams)
- Central Valley High School
- Freeport High School (Two Teams)
- Hopewell High School
- Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School
- Moniteau Jr./Sr. High School
- Neshannock Jr./Sr. High School (Two Teams)
- New Brighton Area Senior High School
- New Castle Area High School
- North Catholic High School
- Riverside High School
- Seneca Valley Senior High School
- Wilmington Area High School
Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer, Venango, Warren counties
- Cranberry Area Jr./Sr. High School
- Grove City High School
- Lakeview High School
- Meadville Area Senior High School (Two Teams)
- Northwest Penna. Collegiate Academy
- Northwestern High School
REGION 3
District 1: (Indiana, Somerset, Westmoreland)
- Burrell High School
- Derry Area High School
- Franklin Regional High School
- Greensburg Central Catholic High School
- Greensburg Salem High School
- Kiski Area High School
- Marion Center High School
- Norwin High School
- Penn Trafford High School
District 2: (Greene, Fayette, Washington)
- Canon-McMillan High School
- Connellsville Area Senior High School
- Frazier High School
- Peters Township High School (Two Teams)
- Ringgold High School
- Trinity High School
District 3: (Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Fulton, Huntingdon, Mifflin)
- Altoona Area High School (Two Teams)
- Bellwood – Antis High School
- Central Cambria High School
- Central High School
- Forest Hills High School
- Huntingdon Area High School
- Richland Senior High School
REGION 4
District 1: (Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Jefferson)
- Bald Eagle Area High School
- Bellefonte Area High School
- Dubois Area High School
- DuBois Central Catholic High School
- Grace Preparatory High School
- Jersey Shore Senior High School
- Montoursville High School
- Punxsutawney Area High School
- Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy
- State College Area High School
District 3: (Cameron, Elk, McKean, Potter)
- Brockway Area Jr./Sr. High School
- Coudersport Jr./Sr. High School
- Oswayo Valley High School
- Otto Eldred High School
- Ridgway Area High School
- Saint Mary's Area High School
- Smethport Area High School
REGION 5
District 1: (Berks, Lehigh, Northampton)
- Allentown Central Catholic High School
- Bethlehem Catholic High School
- Emmaus High School
- Exeter Township Senior High School
- Fleetwood Area High School
- Nazareth Area High School
- Parkland High School
- Pen Argyl Area High School
- Schuylkill Valley High School
District 2: (Luzerne, Schuylkill)
- Blue Mountain High School
- Hazleton Area High School
- Marian Catholic High School
- MMI Preparatory School
- Pittston Area Senior High School
- Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School
REGION 6
District 1: (Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Lebanon, Perry)
- Bishop McDevitt High School
- Central Dauphin High School
- Cumberland Valley High School (Two Teams)
- Harrisburg High School - SciTech Campus
- Milton Hershey School
- Trinity High School
District 2: (York, Adams)
- Central York High School (Two Teams)
- Kennard-Dale High School
- Northern High School
- Spring Grove High School (Four Teams)
District 3: (Lancaster)
- Cocalico High School
- Conestoga Valley High School
- P. McCaskey High School (Two Teams)
- Lampeter-Strasburg High School (Two Teams)
- Lancaster Catholic High School
- Lancaster Country Day School
- Penn Manor High School
REGION 7
District 1: (Chester)
- Bayard Rustin High School
- Bishop Shanahan High School (Two Teams)
- Conestoga High School
- Devon Preparatory School
- Downingtown High School West
- Downingtown STEM Academy
- Great Valley High School
- Henderson High School
- Malvern Preparatory School (Two Teams)
- Owen J. Roberts High School
- PA Leadership Charter School (PALCS)
- Villa Maria Academy High School
- West Chester East High School
District 2: (Delaware)
- Academy of Notre Dame
- Delaware County Christian School
- Episcopal Academy (Two Teams)
- Marple-Newtown High School
- Merion Mercy Academy (Two Teams)
- Monsignor Bonner High School & Archbishop Penn Wood High School
- Penncrest High School
- Prendergast High School
- Ridley High School (Three Teams)
- Strath Haven High School (Two Teams)
- Sun Valley High School
- The Shipley School
- Upper Darby High School
District 3: (Bucks)
- Archbishop Wood High School (Two Teams)
- Bensalem High School (Two Teams)
- Bristol High School
- Central Bucks High School East
- Central Bucks High School South (Two Teams)
- Central Bucks High School West
- Conwell-Egan Catholic High School
- Council Rock High School North (Two Teams)
- Council Rock High School South
- Holicong Middle School
- Holy Ghost Preparatory School
- Lenape Middle School
- Pennridge High School
- Plumstead Christian School
- Tamanend Middle School
- Villa Joseph Marie High School (Two Teams)
REGION 8
Philadelphia County
- Abraham Lincoln High School
- Academy at Palumbo High School (Two Teams)
- Archbishop Ryan High School
- CAPA
- Central High School of Philadelphia (Two Teams)
- Constitution High School
- Esperanza Academy Charter High School
- Father Judge High School
- Franklin Learning Center High School
- Germantown Friends School
- Julia R. Masterman High School (Three Teams)
- Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls
- Northeast High School
- Philadelphia Academy Charter School
- Roman Catholic High School (Four Teams)
- Saint Joseph’s Preparatory School (Two Teams)
- Science Leadership Academy @ Center City (Two Teams)
- Springside Chestnut Hill Academy
- The Mathematics, Civics & Sciences Charter School (Two Teams)
- William Penn Charter School
REGION 9
Montgomery County
- Friends Central School
- Gwynedd Mercy Academy
- Harriton High School
- Hatboro-Horsham Senior High School
- Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy (Two Teams)
- Jenkintown High School
- Kohelet Yeshiva High School
- La Salle College High School
- Lower Merion High School (Two Teams)
- Lower Moreland High School (Two Teams)
- Mesivta of Greater Philadelphia
- Methacton High School
- Mount Saint Joseph Academy
- North Penn High School (Two Teams)
- Plymouth Whitemarsh High School (Two Teams)
- Souderton Area High School
- The Baldwin School
- The Haverford School (Two Teams)
- The Haverford School – Team 3
- Upper Dublin High School
- Wissahickon High School (Two Teams)
REGION 10
Bradford, Lackawanna, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne, Wyoming counties
- Abington Heights High School
- Carbondale Area High School
- Dunmore High School
- Forest City Regional High School
- Holy Cross High School
- Honesdale High School
- Mid Valley High School
- North Pocono High School
- Scranton Preparatory School
- Valley View High School
Carbon, Monroe, Pike counties
- Delaware Valley High School
- East Stroudsburg High School – North
- East Stroudsburg High School – South
- Jim Thorpe Area High School
- Notre Dame Jr./Sr. High School
- Palmerton Area High School
- Pocono Mountain West High School
- Stroudsburg High School