By Traci Newell

Joe Hu/Town Crier Los Altos High School students who participate in mock trial gain an education in the legal system through legal competitions. From left, Keith Wurster, mock trial attorney volunteer, Jamil Poonja, mock trial president, and Sarah Sharif collaborate on an issue regarding witness questioning.

Los Altos High School students who participate in the mock trial program dedicate two weeknights a week, nearly 120 hours a year, to learn how the U.S. legal system functions.

Students assume the roles of trial participants from witnesses and attorneys to bailiffs and court clerks. The students develop presentation skills, analytic ability and team cooperation as they study the case and prepare strategies and arguments for trial.

The state selects a hypothetical criminal case, including a fact pattern and the witness statements, for each year’s trial. Team members must develop the case from their assigned perspective. This year’s case deals with an attempted school bombing; the charges against the defendant include terrorism and attempted murder.

“You need to prove your case and tell a convincing story - that’s the way to win a case,” said coach Keith Wurster, a litigation attorney from Palo Alto.

The Los Altos team boasts its largest team this year, large enough to have two prosecution and two defense teams.

“We have a lot of fun together as a whole group,” said Jamil Poonja, Los Altos High mock trial president. “There is a lot of bonding and a lot of learning.”

Wurster and teacher-sponsor Dee Dee Pearce guide the students through the process, though their roles are primarily advisory.

“We will help them, of course, and give them tips,” Wurster said. “But everything comes from them and all the work that they put in, which is important in the learning experience.”

The team will participate in scrimmages and competitions against other teams in Santa Clara County beginning in January.

Sitting judges will assign the prosecution to one school and the defense to another for the competition. Judging is based on the students’ performances, not on the outcome of the case.

The trials are scheduled at the Santa Clara County courthouse. where several rounds of competition will begin in February. The first-place team from the county will enter the state competition in Oakland.

“This is a very, very competitive activity,” Pearce said. “We are in one of the toughest counties in the state.”

Santa Clara County teams have won the state competition twice in the past five years.

Last year the Los Altos team missed making the county quarterfinals by three-tenths of a point.

“We have a good, solid team this year,” Pearce said. “I really feel good about it. There is a lot of enthusiasm and good leadership in the students.”