Webb’s Mock Trial team took to the courthouse for their annual district competition on Saturday, February 22, at the Williamson County Courthouse in Franklin, Tennessee.
The competition is a grueling all-day event that tests students’ mental and physical stamina. Teams portray the case in three competitive rounds, with minimal breaks between rounds and no foreknowledge of which side of the case they will argue before each round, to earn points for their team by demonstrating command of the courtroom, legal expertise, and witness characterization.
The competition becomes increasingly difficult throughout the day as teams become familiar with each other’s case insights and arguments and must adapt their own strategies in response. The ability to work off-script and adjust on the fly is a hallmark of Webb’s Mock Trial team — a unique benefit of Webb’s standards for scholarship and programs like Emerging Voices and often praised by judges.
In this year’s case, an up-and-coming amateur bull rider (portrayed by Rasmus Wolter) suffers a career-ending head injury when struck by a folding chair thrown into the arena by a rowdy spectator. The bull rider not only experiences the usual effects of a traumatic brain injury but also develops Foreign Accent Syndrome.
The bull rider pursues legal action against the rodeo organizer (portrayed by Sonya Bilbro) for providing insufficient security at the event. The case raises numerous complex questions, including the validity of the bull rider’s claim given his history of previous bull riding injuries, the extent of the owner’s liability given the circumstances of the event, and conflicts of interest among the expert witnesses.
Representing the plaintiff were student lawyers Jackson Elfersy, Abriella Hershman, and Sylwia Suszek. In addition to Rasmus Wolter, the plaintiff’s witnesses included Sophia Bain and Hadassah Stubbs who portrayed an expert neurosurgeon. Robert Lai served as timekeeper and understudy witness.
Representing the defense were lawyers Olivia Dugdale, Rahel Szymanski, and Greyson Kekelis. The defendant’s witnesses were portrayed by Sonya Bilbro and Anna Kate Gregory as well as Iakov Bardin as an expert.
Opening statements were given by Jackson Elfersy and Greyson Kekelis, and closing arguments were delivered by Sylwia Suszek and Olivia Dugdale.
While some teams withdrew from this year’s competition due to the effects of the season’s inclement weather on their preparation, Webb demonstrated exceptional sportsmanship, leadership, and courage by providing an additional “bye team” for all three rounds to keep the competition rolling.
The result was a historic third round that pitted the Webb team against itself for both sides of the case — a reflection of the judges’ faith in Webb students to offer each other fair and challenging competition with character and integrity.
In another historic first, the team was joined by Julia Callaway who served as courtroom artist throughout all three rounds. The courtroom artist role is a new feature in the Mock Trial competition this year, and Webb was only one of two teams in the district able to fulfill the role.
The team would like to extend their gratitude to all the Webb families who attended the competition and who contributed drinks, snacks, and lunches for the team — particularly to Angela Wilsdorf for coordinating those efforts.
Webb’s Mock Trial team is coached by Mr. Geoff Gerber, English teacher and Chambliss dorm parent; Dr. Christopher Candy, History Department chair; and Mr. Jason Simpson, World Languages Department chair and head of Meadows dorm.