Frequently Asked Questions

  • Since Georgetown Mock Trial is completely student-run, we get to determine our own schedules for both practices and tournaments. Still, because we love Mock Trial and take success seriously, GUMT meets regularly during both the fall and spring to practice. Members of the team can expect at least 2 hour practices 2 times a week for the fall invitational season, and 1 or 2 hour practices 3 times a week for the spring competitive season. Schedules for practices are determined by the captains of the teams and are flexible to match the needs of the members and the team as a whole.

    Additionally, the team attends 3 tournaments in the fall and between 2 and 4 tournaments in the spring, depending on success at qualifiers. Tournaments last a full weekend and GUMT will travel to compete at tournaments all over the East Coast. 

    We work to try and make sure that, while GUMT is a rigorous and competitive experience, all members of the team can handle the commitment with the other responsibilities of college. 

  • Absolutely! Georgetown Mock Trial is open to anyone and everyone who tries out and no previous Mock Trial experience is required. Some of the most successful members of our team had no competitive experience in Mock Trial before joining GUMT. We are looking for all types of people to contribute to our team so no matter what experience you have in public speaking or Mock Trial, we look forward to meeting you and hope you can join the GUMT family. 

  • At the beginning of every school year GUMT holds tryouts for potential new members of the club. Information on the time, place, and content of these tryouts will be distributed during our information sessions after CAB fair. The tryouts are meant to assess the strength of potential members’ public speaking and acting skills. For the first round of tryouts, potential members will be asked to either present an opening statement on a fictional case or give a persuasive speech on any topic, followed by a demonstration of cross and direct examination skills as both a witness and attorney. This will be followed by an informal Q&A.

    Once we have conducted this first round of tryouts, the Executive Board of GUMT and the captains of the fall teams will select a number of individuals to participate in a second round of tryouts. This second round will consist of two parts - the first will be focused on working with others in a group setting, and the second will provide prospective members a second chance at showcasing they're speaking talent and skills.

    Full instructions and details will be covered in the tryout packet distributed during the information sessions. 

  • GUMT is divided into three teams in both the fall and the spring. Each team is made up of about 10 members, with 2 student captains who lead the team. Each team works, practices, and develops strategies separately while GUMT comes together for trainings, scrimmages, and social events.  

    In the fall, the teams are divided up to try to distribute experience and skill evenly and effectively. In the spring, following "re-stack," the teams are re-distributed into a tiered system. This traditionally consists of an "A", "B", and "C" team. The re-stack process is handled by the Executive Board and new captains are assigned for the new teams in the spring.

  • For any mock trial teams interested in attending Georgetown's Hilltop Invitational Tournament, email tournament.gumocktrial@gmail.com for more information. The tournament will be in late January of each year to give teams a chance to practice before regionals.

Any other questions?

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to us! You can find all of our contact information on the contact page of this website and links to our social media accounts and email at the bottom of every page. We look forward to hearing from you!