Spring 2023 Audition Information

Tryouts for spots on the Temple Trial Team are held in the spring and possibly again in early fall semester. All students who will be 2Ls or more as of August 23, 2023, may audition for these spots.

For the spring (April ‘23) audition, you will give an opening statement [either side] and a direct-examination (1Ls) or a cross-examination (2Ls) from a fact pattern entitled Commonwealth v. Alexis Carter.  You will have approximately 5 minutes for your opening statement, although you need/should not attempt to complete the entire opening in 5 minutes. You may be interrupted and asked to address a particular part of the case and how it bears on the argument. You will have an additional 5 minutes to conduct the direct or cross-examination. You may also be asked to speak extemporaneously about a topic of our choosing. Finally, you may be interviewed about your background, schedule and commitment.

Tryout Materials

Tryouts are scheduled for Monday, April 17, 2023 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. and Tuesday, April 18, 2023 10:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.  If any of these time slots do not work with your schedule, please email Professor Lippy at elippy@temple.edu and we will accommodate a different time slot.

If needed, the second round of tryouts are scheduled for Monday, April 24, 2023 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. 

You can sign up for a 15 minute time slot at this link –

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0c48aaad2baaf8ce9-2023#/

When all of the Spring auditions have been completed, students may request individual feedback. Announcements about who makes the teams will not be made until May 22, 2023.

Tryouts will determine who is invited to Temple’s end-of-summer Boot Camp, a week-long program designed to prepare students to try cases and win competitions.

Information Session & Training

An in-person Information Session will take place on Wednesday, April 12, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. This session will also be accessible by Zoom. Registration for the Information Session is mandatory and you will receive a Zoom link prior to April 12th. For those unable to attend the session live, it will be recorded. Please register for the information session

Additionally, you can learn more about how to conduct an opening statement by watching the below pre-recorded lectures and materials:
Opening Statement Lecture and Demonstrations

Opening Statements Narrated PowerPoint

(You must download the presentation to hear the narration.)

Opening Statements Articles_NITA 2018

Optimizing and Using Exhibits Lecture

Direct Examination Basics Lecture

Cross Examination Basics Lecture

Performance and Persuasion

Zoom Final Trial of Mock Trial Competition from Fall 2020 

Video Samples of Openings and Closings

Prosecution Opening

Defense Opening