The Illinois State Bar Association High School Mock Trial Invitational is a

mock trial A mock trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisting ...

tournament that has been held every year since 1983. The event is administered by the

Illinois State Bar Association The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) is among largest voluntary state bar associations in the United States. Approximately 28,000 lawyers are members of the ISBA. Unlike some state bar associations, in which membership is mandatory, ISBA memb ...

. The winning team represents the state of Illinois at the

National High School Mock Trial Championship The National High School Mock Trial Championship is an American nationwide competition of high school mock trial teams. Hundreds, and even thousands of teams participate in district, regional, and state tournaments to select one champion team to re ...

. Originally held in

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...

, the invitational moved to

Champaign, Illinois Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metropo ...

in 2013, before moving back to Springfield for the 2019 competition. In 2019, 40 high schools participated. The defending champion is

York Community High School York Community High School is a public secondary school in Elmhurst, Illinois, United States. It is a part of the Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205. Most of the students reside in Elmhurst; however, the district also draws a small num ...

Format

Each school must submit a roster of no more than ten members. The tournament consists of two preliminary rounds, with each school having a chance to represent both the plaintiff/prosecution and defense. After the first two rounds, the eight highest scoring teams advance to a final round. The team with the highest point total following the final round wins the competition. At the end of the competition, several students are awarded outstanding attorney and outstanding witness awards, and the top three placing teams are announced.

Past Champions

The following is a list of invitational champions: *2020:

Evanston Township High School Evanston Township High School (ETHS) District 202, is a four-year public high school occupying a campus in Evanston, Illinois, a north suburb of Chicago along the Lake Michigan shore. ETHS was established in 1883 and serves the city of Evanston ...

. *2019:

*2018: St. Charles North High School *2017: St. Charles North High School *2016:

Timothy Christian School (Illinois) Timothy Christian Schools is a private, nondenominational Christian school in Elmhurst, Illinois, founded in 1911. Academics The school is recognized by the state of Illinois and the DuPage County Education Service Region. Timothy Christian S ...

*2015:

Hinsdale Central High School Hinsdale Central High School, or HCHS (locally referred to as simply "Central") is a public four-year high school located at the corner of W. 55th St. and S. Grant St. in Hinsdale, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United ...

*2014: St. Charles North High School. *2013:

*2012:

*2011:

Glenwood High School (Illinois) Glenwood High School is a state school#United States, public Secondary education in the United States, high school in Chatham, Illinois, United States. It is the only high school in Ball Chatham Community Unit School District 5, which is in south ...

*2010:

*2009:

*2008:

Highland Park High School (Highland Park, Illinois) Highland Park High School (HPHS) is a public four-year high school located in Highland Park, Illinois, a North Shore suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Township High School District 113. From 1900-1904, the school w ...

*2007:

Glenbard East High School Glenbard East High School, or GBE, is a public four-year high school located in Lombard, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, in the United States. It is part of Glenbard Township High School District 87. East, on average, draws around 2,500 ...

*2006:

*2005:

*2004:

*2003:

*2002:

*2001:

Boylan Catholic High School Boylan Central Catholic High School is a private Catholic high school located in Rockford, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1960, Boylan is the only Catholic high school in the city. At the start of the 20102011 school year, there were 1187 stu ...

*2000:

*1999:

*1998:

*1997:

Glenbard South High School Glenbard South High School (GSHS) is a public four-year high school located in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, United States. It is part of Glenbard Township High School District 87, and is the smallest of the four Glenbard Township High Schools. It contai ...

*1996:

*1995:

Mt. Vernon Township High School (Illinois) Mt. Vernon Township High School (MVTHS) is a public high school located in Mount Vernon, Illinois, United States. It serves grades 9-12 and is maintained and operated by the Mt. Vernon Township High School District No. 201 of Jefferson County, Ill ...

*1994:

*1993:

*1992:

*1991:

*1990:

*1989:

St. Charles East High School St. Charles East High School is a public four-year high school located in St. Charles, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of St. Charles Community Unit School District 303, Community Unit School Distr ...

*1988:

*1987:

Marian Central Catholic High School Marian Central Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Woodstock, Illinois, United States. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockford. Athletics Marian has won the following state team championships: girls v ...

*1986:

*1985:

*1983–84: No winners announced.

Results By School

The following schools have placed in the top 3 at least once:

National Championship

The winner of the ISBA High School Mock Trial Invitational has represented the state at the

since its inaugural tournament in 1984. No Illinois team has ever won the tournament, although

finished in 2nd place in 2010. Most recently, Illinois finished 13th at the 2019 National Championship in

Athens, Georgia Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...

References

{{reflist Legal education in the United States Intellectual competitions Annual events in Illinois 1983 establishments in Illinois