ISBA High School Mock Trial Invitational


The Illinois State Bar Association High School Mock Trial Invitational is a mock trial tournament that has been held every year since 1983. The event is administered by the Illinois State Bar Association. The winning team represents the state of Illinois at the National High School Mock Trial Championship. Originally held in Springfield, Illinois, the invitational moved to Champaign, Illinois in 2013, before moving back to Springfield for the 2019 competition. In 2019, 40 high schools participated. The defending champion is York Community High School.

Format

Each school must submit a roster of no more than ten members. The tournament consists of two preliminary rounds, with each school having a chance to represent both the plaintiff/prosecution and defense. After the first two rounds, the eight highest scoring teams advance to a final round. The team with the highest point total following the final round wins the competition. At the end of the competition, several students are awarded outstanding attorney and outstanding witness awards, and the top three placing teams are announced.

Past Champions

The following is a list of invitational champions:
The following schools have placed in the top 3 at least once:
School1st Place Finishes2nd Place Finishes3rd Place FinishesTotal
Hinsdale Central High School117422
Timothy Christian School 76417
Glenbard South High School56415
St. Charles North High School3317
Boylan Catholic High School2259
St. Charles East High School1124
Glenbard East High School1214
Glenwood High School 1102
Highland Park High School 1001
Marian Central Catholic High School1001
Mt. Vernon Township High School 1001
York Community High School1225
Oak Park and River Forest High School0123
Kenwood Academy0112
Evanston Township High School0112
Freeport High School 0101
Hirsch Metropolitan High School0101
Mundelein High School0101
Wells High School0101
Chicago Christian High School0044
Larkin High School0033
Lincoln Park High School 0011

National Championship

The winner of the ISBA High School Mock Trial Invitational has represented the state at the National High School Mock Trial Championship since its inaugural tournament in 1984. No Illinois team has ever won the tournament, although Hinsdale Central High School finished in 2nd place in 2010. Most recently, Illinois finished 13th at the 2019 National Championship in Athens, Georgia.