The Harvard mock trial team, a close-knit group of pre-laws and legal enthusiasts, worked its way to the best finish in recent memory last weekend at the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) national championship.

One of Harvard’s two teams, the “blue” team, placed seventh in one of two brackets at the tournament in Des Moines, Iowa, which ran from April 2 to April 4.

The College’s mock trial team is composed of two eight-person teams, which practice together throughout the year. The other mock trial squad, the “red” team, did not go to nationals.

“The team as a whole worked well together and worked very hard,” said captain Krishna A. Rao ’05, who is also a Crimson editor. “It really is a function of the people.”

In the beginning of the year, the AMTA decides the case that will be tried in every round of every tournament, switching between criminal and civil cases every year.

This year the team had to prepare for the criminal murder trial of a hockey player accused of killing another player on the ice. Over the course of the tournament, teams have to prosecute and defend; they don’t find out which side they’ll argue until just before the trial.

The intense preparation often includes independent research in addition to four meetings per week. “Arguing for months about case theory, the reading of the rules of evidence and how to shape each witness was draining,” said Eric S. Nguyen ’06.

The team has two coaches, Clifford Sarkin and Mushtaq Z. Gunja, both 2Ls at Harvard Law School. The team also receives advice and guidance from Jerome P. Facher, an attorney with Hale and Dorr LLP who, according to Rao, was the basis for Robert Duvall’s character in the movie A Civil Action.

TAKE IT TO COURT

Both the red and blue teams began the season with an invitational tournament at Yale in November, one week before the Harvard-Yale football game. Captained by Sheila Chandrasekhara ’04, the red team placed third at the Yale tournament, which was attended by over 30 teams.

The AMTA’s 20th season opened with regionals at Princeton in February. From regionals, teams may advance to one of three national tournaments. Competition is harsh—over 500 schools compete in the AMTA—and Chandrasekhara’s team barely missed nationals.

The blue team, nicknamed the Litigators—with the stress on “gators”—moved on to the national championship, which is held every year at Drake University in Des Moines.

Talia Kraemer ’06 said she was exhilarated by her first chance of the year to compete in a real courtroom. “We were in Iowa; we were at nationals; it was the culmination of a year of work,” she said.

Some team members, such as Rao and Kraemer, participated in mock trial in high school. Others are new to the activity—but according to Rao, they learn quickly.

Rao, Chandrasekhara, Nguyen and most of the team look forward to law school. Others, like Kraemer, have joined the mock trial team for fun and the unique intellectual experience.