Event Volunteer Information
Event Volunteers serve a vital role in the success of our competition. The volunteer roles are described below. Check the Schedule for deadlines.
- Judging
- Presiding Judge
- Scoring Judge
- Event Volunteers
Below is a brief explanation of the various roles and the qualifications needed for each. Please sign up for the area which best fits both your skill set and interest. We appreciate your time, care, and expertise to ensure the best possible events for our students!
Hotel Accommodations: We have reserved a block of rooms at the Little Rock Marriott and the Little Rock DoubleTree. See the Travel page for reservation information.
Still have questions about volunteering for the event? Click here to send us any questions.
Judges – Presiding and Scoring
Click here to sign up as a presiding or scoring judge!
The preliminary rounds of competition will take place at the Pulaski County Circuit Courthouse and the U.S. Federal District Courthouse. For each of the 23 trials, we will need one presiding judge and three scoring judges. Please consider serving for more than one round of competition if your schedule commits.
Presiding and scoring judges will check in at the Little Rock Marriott, where we will provide breakfast or lunch and a brief orientation. From there, judges will receive their assignments and will be escorted to their courtroom.
Presiding Judge
Description:
- The Presiding Judge is a legal professional who will preside over the case proceedings.
- The focus of the Presiding Judge is to welcome everyone and oversee all trial matters. A suggested script will be provided. They will also have an opportunity to provide feedback to the teams at the end of the round.
- The Presiding Judge will score student performance; however, that score will only be used in an emergency, should a Scoring Judge be unable to complete their ballot.
Qualifications:
- Knowledge of and experience working in the legal field, specifically knowledge of courtroom procedure and objections
- Experience judging High School Mock Trial
- Willingness to invest time into learning the NHSMTC case materials
- Willingness to attend a judges’ orientation in advance of the event
- A desire to support and encourage students’ learning and development
- Sitting and retired judges who fulfill the qualifications listed above will be given preference
Scoring Judge
Description:
- Scoring Judges are legal professionals who assess and score student and team performance.
- There will be three Scoring Judges per courtroom.
- In addition to scoring, Scoring Judges will have the opportunity to provide feedback to teams at the end of the round.
Qualifications:
- Knowledge of and experience working in the legal field
- Willingness to invest time into learning the NHSMTC case materials
- Willingness to attend a judges’ orientation in advance of the event
- A desire to support and encourage students’ learning and development
Event Volunteers
Click here to sign up as an event volunteer!
Event Volunteers will serve a vital role in the success of our competition. We need people to help with registration, managing events, and assisting teams and spectators as they are traveling to and from the courtrooms and venues. We also need people willing to serve as Courtroom Liaisons who will be assigned to judging panels and ensure that score sheets are collected and returned to Competition Staff.
Note: If you are a licensed attorney or judge, we hope that you will be willing to sign up as a presiding or scoring judge rather than an event volunteer.