The Hilton High School Mock Trial Team depicted in the submitted photograph are from left to right, Hon. Michael A. Sciortino (Parma Town Justice and Team Coach); Peter Shannon; Bobby West; Josh Mooney; Jena Ferris; Hon. Richard A. Dollinger (Court of Claims Judge, Acting Supreme Court Justice, and Presiding Judge of the Semi-Final Round); Kate West; Alex Steiger; Ms. Mary Pignato (Business Law Instructor and Team Coach). Team Members Not Depicted: Sam D’Angelo and Alissa Pignato (Team Bailiff).Members of the Hilton High School Mock Trial Team, coached by business law instructor Mary Pignato and Judge Michael Sciortino, advanced again this year to the semi-final round of the competition for a third time in the team’s history, prevailing against both McQuaid Jesuit and Churchville-Chili high schools to do so.
“Ms. Pignato and I have seen our students devote an incredible amount of time and energy learning how to be trial lawyers and witnesses,” Judge Sciortino says.
The students conduct research, draft questions and answers, manipulate case patterns, formulate arguments and objections, rehearse opening statements, direct cross examinations, re-direct and re-cross examinations and closing arguments as part of their participation in the program.
“We have had the honor of competing in numerous rounds and advancing three times to the semi-finals in the annual competition,” Sciortino says. “It has been a sincere pleasure to observe these students compete at the high school level, and to see them graduate from college and law school, and now see them as practicing attorneys in our county, state and country.”
One former student, who served as an attorney on Hilton’s Mock Trial team, is now an assistant district attorney prosecuting criminal cases in Rochester City Court. Her brother is a current member of the team, Sciortino says.
The Mock Trial program is sponsored through the New York Bar Association and Monroe County Bar Association, Sciortino explains. Competitions are held locally, regionally and statewide.
Each year, the students are issued a case/fact pattern and represent the respective parties at a mock bench trial, before real-life local judges and attorneys.
Thirteen schools compete and each school has a team of six competing students – three attorneys and three witnesses.
Team attorneys are graded on a point scale regarding how they conduct their examination and team witnesses on how well they present their testimony.
Judge Sciortino says the mock trial functions just like a real bench trial. Opening statements are read and attorneys conduct direct examination of their own witness and a cross-examination of their adversary’s witness. There is an opportunity for re-direct and re-cross examination. Following the entire proof in the case, closing arguments are submitted.
The rules of mock trial allow students to raise and argue objections, Judge Sciortino says, including those based upon relevancy, hearsay, argumentative, narrative, unresponsive, beyond the scope, foundation, invention of facts, etc.
“They introduce evidence and are graded on laying a proper foundation in doing so. The students are not permitted to use anything outside the submitted materials so that each student is on the same playing field,” Judge Sciortino explains.
After the bench trial, the judge makes two decisions, the first of which is on the merits of the case based upon substantive law.
“The second decision – the most sought after – is based upon the point calculation of each attorney and witness – the ultimate decision as to which team scored higher and advances to the next round,” Judge Sciortino says.
