A Bethel High School team has advanced to the quarterfinals of the statewide Mock Trial Competition, winning both of its cases Tuesday in state Superior Court in Danbury.
Bethel’s Red Team, one of two squads from the high school coached by Peter Barrett, emerged victorious in a civil trial in which they represented a plaintiff in negligence suit stemming from an accident at a railroad crossing. In that case, Chase Collegiate, a private school in Waterbury, represented the defendant.
In the second round, the Bethel Red Team served as the defendant in the negligence suit, and won the case against a team from Joel Barlow High School in Redding.
All 68 teams in the statewide competition, sponsored by Civics First, a private, non-profit association that promotes and conducts law-related education programs and projects in Connecticut’s public and private schools, will argue the same case thooughout the competition.
It will climax with a mock trial between the two finalists in the Connecticut Supreme Court, said Wendy Grispin, an attorney with Pinney Payne in Danbury and the coordinator of the regional competition.
“They all got the case in September and have been practicing since then,” she said.
The Danbury competitors had the benefit of arguing their cases in front of three real Superior Court judges, Sheila Ozalis, Dan Shaban and Andrew Roraback. Also participating were attorneys Steven Smart and Jackie Chan.
The quarterfinals will be held at Trumbull High School on Jan. 28.