Below you’ll see a step-by-step guide to preparing for an attorney audition. First, though, it is important to know what an attorney tryout consists of. There are four parts to the attorney tryout. You’ll see explanations for what each of these steps means down below, but this is the basic outline.
- Argumentative speech + rebuttal (Round 1)
- Cross-examination (Round 2)
- Impromptu speech (Round 2)
- Personal interview (Round 2)
After you’ve read the outline below to get a general idea of how an attorney tryout works, we encourage you to view this video playlist for extra tryout help:
To prepare for an attorney tryout…
Step one: Fill out the interest form
Once you fill out the interest form, you’ll be added to an email list where we will give you any relevant updates, news regarding tryouts, and helpful information. In late August, you will receive an email with this year’s tryout materials and the tryout sign-up link.
Step two: Fill out the tryout form and tryout sign-up
It’s important that you do both of these things! Filling out the tryout form gives us everything we need to know about your competition preferences while the Calendly sign-up link allows you to reserve you spot and tryout for the team.
Step three: Choose your speech topic
You will have six prompts to choose from.
- Nature or Nurture?
- How do you balance hearing out victims but assuming innocence?
- Does technology help foster or degrade communication?
- Does trash talk have a place in sports?
- Is cancel culture good for society?
- Should we have congressional term limits?
Step four: Write your speech
Preparation and practice are key here! You only have four minutes impress us with your skills, so make sure to use the time wisely. We want to see your public speaking skills in how you present your argument, but don’t underestimate the importance of good writing. Mock trial is all about constructing a logical argument and persuading a jury to agree with your version of events, and this starts with how you use evidence and emotion to support your points.
Step five: Think about counterarguments
Every prompt can be argued a different way, so keep in mind that even if you think a hotdog is a sandwich, exec might not agree. Everyone will have the opportunity to defend themselves, though. After your four minute speech, a member of exec will present a counterargument and you will have one minute to think before responding with a one minute rebuttal. Thoroughly research your topic so that you’re fully prepared when it comes time to respond.
Step six: Come to an interest meeting and office hours
For all potential mockers, it’s important that you come to an information session so that you learn how to do mock trial. In order to really know the best way to write/perform a direct examination or cross-examination, you’ll need to stop by for an interest meeting and/or office hours (ideally both). Interest meetings will give you the foundation of what it means to be a witness or attorney while office hours will allow to hone your skills one-on-one with members of the executive board.
Step seven: Practice, practice, practice!
Whether you work better off a script or extemporaneously, it’s a good idea to rehearse your speech a couple times. Four minutes goes by faster than you think, so make sure that you’re staying within the time constraints as you present your argument. If you have any questions or want help on your material at all, please come see us at office hours. Additionally, view video resources from our Vice President of Education, Sam Hoefs, to get a better idea of what your tryout should look like!
Callbacks are a little different… See the best way to prepare below!
To prepare for an attorney callback
Step one: Sign up for a callback time
If you receive an email inviting you back for the second round, you will also receive a link to sign up for your callback spot. Slots fill up fast and there’s only one day of callbacks so make sure to secure your spot early for the optimal callback time.
Step two: Write your cross-examination
The first portion of your callback will be a four minute cross-examination of the witness of your choice. Read their affidavit well, and pick out all the important facts, biases, and assertions that are relevant to your case. Write up a list of yes-or-no questions highlighting these points. Witnesses rarely give a straight answer so be ready to adapt and think on your feet in order to elicit the important points. It’s far more important for you to get these facts on the record than it is for you to ask these questions with the exact right phrasing or in the exact right order. Crosses are tricky, so if you find yourself struggling come to office hours for help from current members.
Step three: Create a strategy for the impromptu
The second portion of the attorney callback is a two-minute impromptu speech. You will select your topic from three options given to you in the room on the day after your callback. There’s no way to prepare for the content of your speech, but think about how you want to entice your audience and structure your argument to create the most polished speech possible. We understand that it won’t be perfect, but it will give us insight into how you think on your feet and construct an argument—two very important skills in mock trial.
Step four: Personal interview
No worries here—you’ve spent your whole life preparing for this part! All you have to do is be yourself and answer a few questions to help us get a better idea of your personality, your hopes, your dreams, and most importantly, how you can contribute to the University of Alabama Mock Trial Association.
Alabama Mock Trial 