Page 14 - November December CBA Report

Inside Ohio’s
Mock Trial Program
By Erica Monttinen
Ohio Mock Trial is the largest non-athletic competition in
the state of Ohio. But given its origin, it’s not surprising.
Mock Trial is the brainchild of the Ohio State Bar Asso-
ciation, the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio Foundation,
and Ohio Attorney General Anthony Celebrezze. They believed
students needed to learn about civics and their constitutional
rights and felt there was a gap that needed filled. Ohio Mock Trial
was formed in 1983 to help fill that gap, and The Supreme Court
of Ohio joined as a program sponsor a few years later.
In 1989, they created Ohio Center for Law-Related Education
(OCLRE) and over the years several more law-related educational
programs such as Moot Court, We the People, Youth for Justice,
Project Citizen, and a Middle School Mock Trial were added.
These programs cater to elementary, junior high and high school
students allowing all grades to receive a civics education.
Ohio’s robust Mock Trial program involves more than 3,500
students yearly from across the state. Participants come from all
backgrounds, not just those interested in pursuing law. That is
part of what makes the program so impactful.
“Mock Trial is significant because of the skills you learn and
use,” said Steve Dauterman, Immediate Past President of OCLRE.
“Being able to analyze a situation, have the poise to speak in front
of adults, question and cross-examine witnesses, and think on
your feet, those are life skills.”
Mock Trial Through the Pandemic
Dauterman’s presidency with Mock Trial was during the
tumultuous Covid years. “When I became president in 2021, our
first focus was how do we maintain our programs? We operate
on grants from the Supreme Court, Attorney General, ACLU,
and OSBA. How do we remain true to our sponsors?” asked
Dauterman.
14 The answer was to continue with Mock Trial but hold it virtu-
ally. In 2020 and 2021 the rounds were all held virtually. In 2021
they thought they’d have the finals in person, but one of the final
teams was exposed to Covid and it was held virtually.
They resumed in-person for the 2022 season. He spent
the remaining two years of his four-year term re-engaging
the students, volunteers, and community with Mock Trial.
Dauterman told me, “I feel like the OCLRE is finally back to where
we were pre-pandemic.” But recruiting volunteers remains the
biggest issue.
Powered by Volunteers
Mock Trial is dependent upon hundreds of volunteers. Each
level of competition: district, regional, and state, requires several
dozen volunteers to serve as judges, and others that support teams
as legal advisors.
Eligibility to volunteer is simple, have a law degree. But every
year, filling those roles is difficult. “One of the disappointing
things I’ve seen is that at state competition, sometimes we only
have two judges on a panel,” Dauterman explained. “At that level,
it’s not appropriate or fair to the students. It’s so much better to
have three judges. Students deserve that.”
Volunteering can take different forms. Judges preside over or
score a trial round, a commitment that take a few hours. Legal
advisors work with a team for several months leading up to
competition, coaching students through case materials and trial
skills. Either way, volunteers leave a lasting impression.
Steve Simon, a longtime Cincinnati attorney, served as a legal
advisor for Reading Community City Schools for more than a
decade in the early 2000s. Each week for several months, he met
with students to review opening and closing statements, sharpen
cross-examinations, and provide feedback.
THE REPORT | November/December 2025 | CincyBar.org