22nd Annual High School Mock Trial takes place at Lake County Courthouse

Posted March 25, 2026 3:32 pm

Submitted by the 19th Judicial Circuit Court

The 22nd Annual High School Mock Trial was held recently at the Lake County Criminal Court Tower. Attendees gathered for an opening welcome and remarks from Circuit Judge Victoria A. Rossetti and Illinois Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth M. Rochford, followed by introductions of the judges, evaluators, teams and coaches by Associate Judges Stephen M. DeRue and James R.M. Newman.

The 26 high school teams competing against one another to attain first place in the competition included students from Barrington High School, Bartlett High School, Carmel Catholic High School, Chicago Christian High School, College Preparatory School of America, De La Salle Institute, Evanston Township High School, Glenbrook South High School, Grayslake Central High School, Highland Park High School, Lake Forest High School, Libertyville High School, Maine South High School, Maine West High School, Mundelein High School, Niles North High School, Niles West High School, South Elgin High School, Southland College Prep High School, St. Charles East High School, St. Charles North High School, Stevenson High School, Timothy Christian School, Wheeling High School, Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, and York Community High School.

At 9 a.m., the students moved to their assigned courtrooms to start their first trial session. This year's mock trial problem, selected by the Illinois State Bar Association, was titled “River Knox v. Lincoln Adventure Co., LLC.” The case involved Plaintiff River Knox, a veteran trail runner who suffered a catastrophic injury during an ultramarathon. As a result, Knox sued the race organizer, Defendant Lincoln Adventure Co. LLC.

Throughout the event, teams tried the case twice, once as the plaintiff and once as the defense. Students acted as both attorneys and witnesses, aiming for outstanding performances. Lake County Circuit Judges Patricia S. Fix and Reginald C. Mathews, along with Lake County Associate Judges Luis A. Berrones, Michael B. Betar, Gabriel J. Conroe, Matthew J. DeMartini, Charles D. Johnson (Ret.), Eric J. Kalata, Ruth H. Lofthouse, Deborah J. Menas, George T. Pappas, James K. Simonian and George D. Strickland (Ret.) presided over the trials. Assistant state's attorneys, assistant public defenders and practicing trial attorneys served as evaluators, scoring students on ability, presentation and effectiveness.

Judge Rossetti and Judge Bishop brought the popular event to Lake County in 2004. It is sponsored by the Law-Related Education Initiative, the Lake County Bar Association, the Lake County Bar Foundation and the Lake County Juvenile Officers Association.

After lunch, an awards ceremony was held in the Jury Assembly Room. The individuals with the highest scores for their performances as attorneys and witnesses were named and presented with trophies by Judges Bishop and Rossetti. Lake County Bar Association Executive Director Greg Weider awarded the first, second, and third-place winners with a check to help defray some of the expenses associated with the mock trial programs and state competition.

The winning school teams were third place: Southland College Prep High School; second place: Evanston Township High School: and first place, De La Salle Institute.

In closing, Judge Bishop warmly thanked everyone for their enthusiastic participation and extended heartfelt congratulations to all teams. She wished them the very best as they eagerly prepare for the state competition in March, encouraging continued excellence and teamwork.