The Mock Trial Program:
The Second Generation

The Mock Trial Program has been running for 26 years, and presently there are a number of people who competed as students and are now teacher and lawyer advisors for teams.

Beth Hatterman and Kelly Hodges are two examples of people who have stayed involved in the program. They competed together in 1991 for the first Stamford High School mock trial team, as lawyers for both the plaintiff and defense, and argued the same AIDS residence case used in this year’s competition. Beth now teaches English at Stamford High School and has been a faculty advisor for the Stamford team for the past six years, the last five with Tony Pavia, who involved her in the Mock Trial Program when she was his student in 1990 and 1991. Kelly is a lawyer in Stamford with the law firm of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker. She has been involved in litigation and is currently in corporate practice.

Beth and Kelly again are working together as advisors for the Stamford mock trial team. “My continued involvement is slightly more of an avenge factor than Beth’s,” Kelly has said. “She is apparently over our one point loss to Hamden in 1991, but I will continue to be involved until an SHS team brings home a title!”

Both Beth and Kelly have high praise for their participation in the Mock Trial Program. “I credit mock trial as great preparation for my current teaching career,” Beth states. “It helped me refine my analytical skills, become more adept at public speaking, and pushed me to think on my feet.” Kelly is equally enthusiastic. “I love watching the kids pull a case together and still manage to surprise me on the day of competition. Selfishly, it’s an opportunity for me to ‘give back’ while doing something I really love.”

Find out more about the Mock Trial Program.