Monday, March 09, 2009 By Ovsanna Khachikian Students practice their case as coach Michael O'Gara provides help. - Advertising Team prepares for tomorrow's mock trial competition (November 1, 2006) -- Six participants sat on student desks arranged to resemble a courtroom as they prepared for the Constitutional Rights Foundation’s (CRF) Twenty-Ninth Annual Los Angeles mock trial competition.  Team members spared no time breaking apart the case — which had been derived from the framework in the mock trial’s manual — to make sure that every word will work to their advantage. After receiving clarification on the strategy that senior Min Ju Kim had employed to phrase a question, senior Nicole D’Netto smirked as she reached over to give Kim a high-five in admiration for her teammate’s cleverness. "It's like how proud you feel when you find the solution to the difficult math problem you have been working on for hours and hours," said D'Netto as she described the sweet feeling of victory every time a flaw is caught to improve their case. This year the team's prosecution will attempt to prove that fictitious suspect Casey Campbell is guilty of attempting to bomb Park Lane High School as an act of vengeance against the school bullies, while the defense will demonstrate Campbell's innocence by placing the guilt on the leader of the bullies, Sawyer Simpson. On the opposite end of advisor Melanie Martin’s classroom, seniors Glory Sikka and Jessica Ohanian used a map of Park Lane High to convince senior Maria Nashed that her suggestion for the testimony Ohanian will give as Campbell is invalid. Deputy District Attorney Michael O'Gara, the team's coach, said that his role is to strengthen the team's presentations by helping them overcome Hollywood's perception of what lawyers do and what one would expect to see in court.  "[The mock trial] teaches what it's like to be a real lawyer, which isn't really like it is in the movies," he said.The 19-member team’s temperament continues to fluctuate from moments of tension to light-heartedness.  With competition set for tomorrow and Nov. 9, the team will make it to the second round only if both the defense and prosecution beat their opponents from other schools in round one.

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