Kazan Law Proud to Sponsor the 2020 Alameda County Phillip A. Harley Memorial Mock Trial Competition
Congratulations to American High School in Fremont for winning this year’s Alameda County Philip A. Harley Memorial Mock Trial Competition. We are very proud to continue to sponsor this meaningful competition in memory of our dear friend and partner Philip A. Harley (1947-2009).
The Alameda County Philip A. Harley Memorial Mock Trial Competition is an annual countywide high school criminal trial competition designed to increase understanding of our judicial system and the processes necessary to create a just society. Teams of nine to 25 students study a hypothetical case, conduct legal research and receive individual coaching by volunteer attorneys in trial preparation, courtroom protocol, courtroom procedure, analysis and communication.
All this extensive preparation begins in the fall and culminates in a live mock trial competition held throughout January and February. Through their participation in the imitation trials, these Alameda County high school students get to learn and practice the roles of attorneys, witnesses and other courtroom positions. The winning team then represents Alameda County at the state competition held every March.
This year, following four weeks of competition between 13 teams, American High School won the competition. American High School planned to represent Alameda County at the state competition on March 20-22, 2020 in Los Angeles, CA, but it has been cancelled.
All 13 participating high school teams were set to be celebrate an awards ceremony and reception at the San Leandro Arts Education Center on Monday, March 9, 2020, but after the Alameda County Office of Education made the difficult determination that, given the health and safety concerns associated with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the event was canceled.
Ben Sanders, Program Manager of History-Social Science and Civic Engagement, sincerely thanked Mr. Kazan and the firm’s generous ongoing support of Mock Trial. “Your engagement and leadership means a great deal to the program,” he said.
We believe this is a wonderful legacy for Phil, a dedicated attorney who always made a point of supporting consumer advocacy programs including trial-related education programs.
2020 Alameda County Phillip A. Harley Memorial Mock Trial Competition Teams:
- Amador Valley High School
- American High School (Winner of 2020 Mock Trial Competition)
- Bishop O’Dowd High School
- Foothill High School
- Granada High School
- Irvington High School
- Moreau Catholic High School (2019 Alameda County Champion)
- Oakland Technical High School
- Piedmont High School
- Saint Mary’s College High School
- Skyline High School
- Mission San Jose High School
- Washington High School (Fremont)
2020 Competition Dates
- February 4
- February 6
- February 11
- February 13
- February 25 (Semi Finals)
- February 27 (Finals)