By: centraljersey.com
A team from Hillsborough High School has advanced to the semifinal round of the annual Vincent J. Apruzzese Mock Trial Competition for Somerset County.
High School students become attorneys, witnesses and jurors for the evening in the countywide competition sponsored by the Somerset County and New Jersey State bar foundations.
Hillsborough was one of 10 teams that argued and defended a case involving a pedestrian and motor vehicle accident when the competition got under way last week at the Somerset County Courthouse in Somerville.
The public is invited to attend the semifinal round, which will be held Tuesday, Jan. 18, at 6 p.m. at the courthouse. The Hillsborough team will compete against teams from Montgomery High School, Mount St. Mary Academy and Somerset County Vocational Technical School.
The two semifinal winners will vie for the county championship at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 1, at the courthouse. New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Helen E. Hoens and Yolanda Ciccone, assignment judge for Vicinage XIII, will preside over the final competition.
Somerset County’s winning team will be eligible to compete in the regional competitions in February. Winners of the regionals will compete in the state semifinals to be held March 22 at the New Jersey Law Center in New Brunswick. The statewide championship will be held March 24 at the Law Center.
The goal of the competition is to promote better understanding of the law, court procedures and the justice system and to increase basic life and leadership skills, according to the Somerset County Bar Association.

