Since 1987, the Law Society has run the Mock Trial Competition for students in Years 10, 11 or 12. From humble beginnings, the Mock Trial Competition has become a Western Australian community legal education institution that many practicing lawyers cite as sparking their interest in the law.
What is the Mock Trial Competition?
The Mock Trial Competition (MTC) is a community legal education initiative in which student teams take on the roles of Prosecution/Plaintiff and the Defence as well as witnesses and other court personnel to present both sides of a fictitious criminal or civil case before a mock trial judge in a real court room.
The MTC commences at start of Term 1 and runs through to October with all teams participating in the first 3 rounds (run from March to July).
The MTC is recognised by the School Curriculum and Standards (SCSA) as a Provider-developed endorsed program.
Who can participate?
Registering a School Team
The MTC is open to students enrolled in Year 10, 11 or 12.
To participate, schools must register their team/s of students (between 6 and 15 students) who take the following roles:
- two barristers
- two witnesses
- one instructing solicitor
- one court orderly or judge’s associate
- reserves
To register a team/s, please complete the School Team Registration Form. Further information about registering a team and the MTC can be found in the MTC Manual.
Registrations open 4 February 2026 and will close 13 February 2026 (or earlier if maximum number of teams is reached).
Volunteer Law Students, Lawyers and Legal Professionals
The MTC could not run without the support of volunteer law students, lawyers and other legal professionals who generously volunteer their own time to act as advocacy coaches, mock trial judges or to develop case materials.
If you are interested in being involved in either capacity, please complete the Volunteer Lawyer EOI (Expression of Interest) Form and the Mock Trial Coordinator will be in touch to discuss opportunities.
Practicing lawyers may be eligible to receive 1 CPD point (Professional Skills) per hour of attendance at a mock trial hearing (up to 6 for a CPD Year).
Cost, Venue, Time and Dates
There is a registration fee for each team. Schools may register more than 1 team (up to 5 teams) subject to capacity.
Schools with an ICSEA value of 1,000 or less are eligible for the MTC Student Access Program and receive subsidised fees.
See MTC Fee Schedule for more information.
Mock trials ordinarily take place at the 1903 Supreme Court building located in Stirling Gardens, Barrack Street, Perth. Some trials may also be held at the Mandurah Courthouse.
The mock trials run from 5.30pm to no later than 8.00pm. Students should be on site at least 15 mins before start time.
The MTC runs from March to October. See the MTC Competition Calendar 2025 for specific dates for each round.
What is involved?
Format of the MTC
There are 6 rounds in the MTC. All teams participate in the first 3 rounds (held March to July). The 16 highest ranked teams progress to the Preliminary Final. After the Preliminary Final, the 4 highest ranked teams move onto Semi-Finals. The two winning teams from the Semi-Finals then compete in the Grand Final in October.
All MTC students who participate in at least 3 mock trials receive WACE Accreditation.
For more information please refer to the Mock Trial Competition Manual 2025
Prior to each round
Prior to each round, each team is provided with Case Materials, a date for their hearing and which side they are representing.
The Case Materials are the court documents to be used in the mock trial and include a summary of the modified law to be applied in the case, the issue/s in dispute, 4 witness statements and any documents to be tendered.
All teams participate in the first 3 rounds. In those rounds, team should expect to participate in at least 1 criminal and 1 civil trial and have the chance to present a case from both sides (i.e. Prosecution/Plaintiff and Defence).
Mock Trial Hearings
Each mock trial is presided over by a volunteer law student, lawyer or legal professional. Simplified rules of evidence and law are used for each mock trial to ensure the focus is on advocacy skills – not knowledge of substantive law.
For more information about how the mock trial hearings are expected to be conducted, please refer to the following documents (all of which are annexed to the Manual):
- the Mock Trial Run Sheet (for details about how the mock trial proceedings are expected to run, rough timeframes for each stage of the trial and what is required of each student role)
- the Scoresheet (for the breakdown of points that may be allocated by the judge during a mock trial)
- the Simplified Rules of Evidence 2025 (for the rules of evidence to be applied in a mock trial).
Court documents for students to complete each mock trial
There are 4 court documents (annexed to the Competition Manual) that students must complete in each mock trial.
These are:
- Court Document 1- Notice of Appearance
- Court Document 2 – List of Objections
- Court Document 3 – List of Exhibits; and
- Court Document 4 – Timesheet.
See Mock Trial Competition Manual 2025 (with annexures) for more information.
Articles and Past Material
- Competition Wrap Up 2023 (Law Society Brief)
- Competition Wrap Up 2022 (Law Society Brief)
- Competition Wrap Up 2021 (Law Society Brief)
- Competition Wrap Up 2020 (Law Society Brief)
- Competition Wrap Up 2019 (Law Society Brief)
- Competition Wrap Up 2018 (Law Society Brief)
- Tips for Mock Trial Coaching (Law Society Brief February 2018)
- Testimonials from 2017 Competition Participants, teacher and volunteers (Law Society Brief)
- Example Case Material (Round 1 2023) (Criminal)
- Example Case Material (Round 2 2023) (Criminal)
- Example Case Material (Round 3 2023) (Civil)
Premium Partners
Student Access Partners
WA Law School Partners
