During his first mock trial scrimmages, Felix Long (12) ran on empty. 

“I just couldn’t eat beforehand,” Long said. “Especially when we were online, even though we could turn our cameras off, I always felt my stomach turning because I was so anxious.”

At the time, Long was still a witness, having joined Mock Trial his sophomore year after taking an interest in law. While he quickly grasped the different elements of a trial by observing his older teammates, it wasn’t until a chance accident occurred that he would finally get the opportunity to actually speak on the stand himself.

“The person whose position I was backup for just couldn’t make it that day,” Long said. “So I was the one who had to go up, and then I held that position of witness from that day on.”

That first time, he hadn’t learned he was supposed to speak on the stand until only an hour before the competition, when the teammate he was understudying for was unable to come. These days, however, Long has much more time to prepare before scrimmages and competitions. After moving up to the role of attorney over winter break, he now spends six hours a week on Mock Trial. 

“I got a text asking if I was still interested in the attorney role,” Long said. “And so I basically had to switch positions on the fly, with a lot less time to prepare.”

Thursdays after school and Sunday mornings are spent rehearsing with his teammates. Alongside the other members of Mock Trial, Long refines and changes scripts, and discusses case theory. 

“Besides group meetings, I also meet with my two witnesses that I direct during school lunch hours,” Long said. “We spend time running over what they need to say, and what I need to say, so that we’re all working together in unity.”

At the same time, outside of these official practices, his mind is always busy on the subject, turning over his case again and again, until he knows it as well as the back of his own hand. 

Throughout his previous years in Mock Trial, Long had played witness roles. While he had long aspired to be one of the three attorneys, as time passed, he remained a witness, though the importance of his position had increased with time and experience.

This has meant some heavy-duty studying on Long’s part. The difference in responsibility between that of a witness and that of an attorney is almost tenfold, given that attorneys are scored individually, and these scores are tallied into the final results of every match.

“The competition aspect really stemmed from the fact that I was new, and I had to try and get to the level of everyone else who already had experience,” Long said.

As a part of his role as an attorney, he must also try to anticipate possible objections from the opposing side, and come up with responses, instead of simply sticking to a developed character. 

“A witness role requires memorization and critical thinking when you’re responding during [those cross examinations],” Long said. “Meanwhile as an attorney, you’re the one doing the cross examinations. It’s like the same skills—you still have to have the same critical thinking skills, the same poise—but you just have to know ten times the information.”

As an attorney, Long is responsible for delivering an opening statement, conducting direct and cross examinations of witnesses and delivering closing arguments. According to Long, the pressure has been immense. While initially, he had had an idea of the requirements of this new role, he hadn’t quite understood everything he needed to have a handle on, including a detailed and accurate story of what occurred in the case at trial.

“You have to make sure everything is following your case theory, and what you’re doing,” Long said. “You have to make sure your questions are precise. I’m not saying you have to be perfect, but you have to be very close to it, especially because of our team’s history of success.”

These days, the nerves that used to come with a scrimmage have relaxed. Now that he is more comfortable serving as an attorney on the team, Long says he’s more confident in his own abilities. 

“I’m more comfortable with myself,” Long said. “My mantra has always been to try and outdo my last performance, and so once the nerves are gone, I’m just more focused.”

Looking forward, Long says that his experience with Mock Trial has opened up possible career avenues in law.

“I’ve always known I was interested in law,” Long said. “I do hope to eventually pursue it at a higher level in college, and doing Mock Trial was what really cemented that for me.”