By Shayan Abbasi
Disclaimer: Shayan Abbasi is a member of the FVHS Mock Trial team.
For the first time in 3 years, Fountain Valley High School’s (FVHS) Mock Trial team made the playoffs. The team presented well-researched arguments and stipulations in front of judges and scorers. With the help of advisor Julie Chaicharee and attorney coach Lacey London, Mock Trial won three trials and advanced to playoffs. Though it lost its penultimate trial against El Dorado High School in the round of 16, this year’s edition of Mock Trial was a major improvement over previous years.
While the trial results may not have been what FVHS hoped for, there was nonetheless much individual progress throughout the season. Whether it was the attorneys presenting well-thought arguments and performing cross-examinations, witnesses getting into character or the bailiff conducting the trial with astute formality, Mock Trial seemed to run like a well-oiled machine. Each student was a key component of the team’s success.
The prosecution side opened the season with a win against Servite High School. Thanks to the compelling arguments pointing to the defendant’s guilt, the well-organized Fountain Valley Mock Trial team steamrolled to their first victory. The trial got off to a good start as Pre-Trial attorney senior Brandon Nguyen, through answering the judge’s questions and making persuasive arguments, was successful in obtaining incriminating evidence admitted to the trial. Senior Angela Mohammadi delivered the opening statement, and junior Ngan Nguyen delivered the closing statement. Junior Princeton Nguyen, a first-year attorney, won MVP. Witnesses had exceptional performances as well, giving prompt answers on cross-examinations and performing convincing witness portrayals. Senior Lori Shirikian and juniors Donella Asadi, Steve Chiu and Ibrahim Habibeh led the way for prosecution, giving testimonies that proved the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
After the first trial, it was the defense team’s time to shine. Going up against a formidable opponent in Laguna Beach High School, the defense did not shy away from the challenge. The trial was off to a good start as Pre-Trial attorney senior Brandon Phan was successful in ensuring a piece of evidence be deemed inadmissible in the trial, as stipulated under the fourth amendment.
Following this, the defense attorneys cross examined prosecution witnesses from Laguna Beach, proving reasonable doubt in favor of the defendant. Senior Molly Chang gave the opening speech and senior An Nguyen gave the closing arguments. The defense witnesses were outstanding as well, telling their stories and pointing further at the defendant’s innocence. Juniors Collin Choe and Avery Hoang and freshman Jocelyn Tran were successful in framing their stories in a way that culminated in a not guilty charge. Fountain Valley got their second win against Laguna Beach HS with defense captain and closing attorney An Nguyen winning team MVP.
The regular season ended for Mock trial with a win-loss record of 3-1. With this record, the team was heading to playoffs for the first time in three years, a monumental accomplishment. Following Thanksgiving Break, the first round of playoffs commenced and Fountain Valley’s defense side faced off against El Dorado High School’s prosecution side.
In spite of the pretrial argument falling short, defense attorneys nonetheless showcased their knowledge of the case by making objections and asking tough questions on cross-examination. Defense witnesses were also successful in responding to questions and holding their own on cross-examinations.
The trial kept the audience at the edges of their seats, as the two teams’ stellar performances kept things interesting. An Nguyen won team MVP for her performance as closing attorney, presenting a closing argument that consolidated all the evidence from the trial into a cohesive story and pointing at reasonable doubt on the part of the defendant.
However, despite compelling witness performances, aptly timed objections and conclusive closing arguments, Fountain Valley fell short against El Dorado, with the verdict being guilty on all counts and losing on scorecards.
“It wasn’t the most preferred way of getting out of playoffs. El Dorado was definitely one of the hardest teams we went up against this season, but it was a match well played,” freshman Addison Phan says.
This result was not unexpected, though, as this was the first season the mock trial team did not have a teacher coach.
“Our team is very grateful to our current advisor Mrs. Chaicharee, for helping us with all the competition paperwork and letting us use her classroom for practices,” An Nguyen said.
Through individual dedication and commitment to the team, the club was nonetheless able to finish the season with a three-year best record.
This Mock Trial season is widely seen as an impressive accomplishment since the team was successful in weathering the regular season as the pool of 40 teams narrowed to a mere 16. Much of this success was thanks to the many practices Mock Trial held before competitions. Every Monday and Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., the team was hard at work preparing for the next trial. Practices consisted of several things, such as team-bonding activities, line memorization and trial simulation.
“Initially, we focused on reading the case packet and the rule book, writing our scripts, and overall getting comfortable with our roles,” Court Bailiff, junior Brandon Ly said. “[After], the prosecution and the defense team would play a full mock scrimmage against each other.”
These scrimmages often entailed a simulation of the court case, just as how it would play out in trial. This allowed for errors to be identified, as well as for witnesses and attorneys to become acclimated to their roles.
The team remains hopeful for next year: its members have learned valuable lessons from this season that they will surely look to employ in the future.
“We were very happy with how our season went, and even though we didn’t get the results we wanted, we are proud of our improvements. We are all looking forward to next season,” attorney, junior Princeton Nguyen, said.
