COLTS NECK – Students from Colts Neck High School will compete against students from Mainland Regional High School of Atlantic County in the state finals of the Vincent J. Apruzzese Mock Trial Competition.
The competition will take place on April 11 at the New Jersey Law Center, New Brunswick. The winner will represent New Jersey in the National High School Mock Trial Championship in Athens, Ga., in May.
The Vincent J. Apruzzese Mock Trial Competition is sponsored by the New Jersey State Bar Foundation in cooperation with the New Jersey State Bar Association and New Jersey’s county bar associations. This season marks the competition’s 37th year of service to the educational community in New Jersey, according to a press release.
A mock trial is a simulation of a trial using materials such as rules of evidence, rules of procedure, statement of facts, jury charges and witness statements provided by the New Jersey State Bar Foundation.
Each year the foundation produces a fictitious case, alternating between civil and criminal cases. This year’s case, Avery Mansion v. Captain Kidd’s Pier, is a civil case stemming from a roller coaster accident.
Colts Neck’s team is comprised of 10 students, with five students representing the plaintiff and five students representing the defense. Each side competes with two attorneys and three witnesses.
The plaintiff is represented by attorneys Nicolas Fischer, a senior, and Ty Blitstein, a junior, and witnesses Cassandra Dalton, a freshman, Alexandria Henderson, a junior, and Ghadeer Lamah, a senior.
The defense is represented by attorneys Brooke Lumer, a senior, and Dylan Cohen, a senior, and witnesses Dennis Abate, a senior, Brian Perlstein, a senior, and Chloe McAloon, a junior.
According to mock trial adviser Holly Lucarelli, the students prepare between October and January with the assistance of their attorney coach, William Visone.
Competitions at the county level begin in mid-January and are held at the Monmouth County Courthouse. The Colts Neck students won six competitions at the county level, four competitions at the regional level and one competition at the semi-state finals on their way to the state finals.
“Needless to say, this is an incredibly hard-working and intelligent group of students who have dedicated countless hours during the week and on the weekends preparing for these competitions,” Lucarelli said.