Idaho School Places Sixth in National High School Mock Trial Championship

Posted on May 19, 2021 | updated: July 26, 2021

The mock trial team from The Ambrose School in Meridian placed sixth in National High School Mock Trial Championship. This is the second time the school has placed in the top 10 at the national tournament. Ambrose also placed sixth in the 2016 competition. The national championship was sponsored by the Indiana Bar Foundation from May 12 to 14. 46 teams from all parts of the United States as well as South Korea participated in the virtual tournament.

Ambrose qualified to represent Idaho at the National High School Mock Trial Championship by winning Idaho’s state competition in March. One of Ambrose’s coaches, Caitlyn Yates said that it was a privilege to coach a team of students this season who are so naturally talented and passionate about Mock Trial. “The students adapted quickly to the virtual format of this year’s competition and competed with competency and poise. They poured hours of work into preparing for both the state and national competitions, all while balancing demanding workloads from their classes. I am so proud of the students and all they accomplished!”

In addition to Caitlyn Yates, the team is coached by David Goodwin. Team members include Ben Perrigo, Corban Reyna, Hailei Browne, Lydia Colby, Audrey Hansell and graduating seniors Abby Davis and Kristen Stanciu. Stanciu, the team captain, said of the experience, “The chance to go to nationals this year with my team was the opportunity of a lifetime. I am so thankful that we were able to compete against some of the most skilled schools in the nation. I am also incredibly grateful to our coaches, parents, and volunteers who dedicated so much of their time to helping us succeed.”

All teams in the championship participated in four rounds of competition in virtual Zoom Courtrooms with the top two teams facing off for the national championship on Saturday afternoon. Idaho faced New Jersey, Florida, Texas, and New Mexico in their rounds of competition.

Ambrose Coach, David Goodwin, wanted to express his gratitude to the Idaho mock trial program. “The Idaho Law Foundation’s Law Related Education Program worked alongside Ambrose every step of the way after the state championship. The support from sitting judges like Hon. Jessica Lorello and others as well as mock trial experts like David Lloyd and Law Related Education Director Carey Shoufler was a labor on their part that paid dividends. The students and coaches learned so much from these professionals.”

Judge Lorello added, “Helping prepare Ambrose for the National Mock Trial Championship was a treat! The students were terrific to work with and very impressive. Congratulations to Ambrose on their outstanding performance!”

For more information about the National High School Mock Trial Championship, visit nationalmocktrial.org. For more information about Idaho’s mock trial program, visit idahomocktrial.org or contact Carey Shoufler.

About the National High School Mock Trial Championship

The National High School Mock Trial Championship is a hands-on civic education activity for high school students. The tournament is hosted annually by different states and includes up to 48 teams, including Guam, South Korea, the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, and State Champion teams from across the country. Working with attorney and teacher coaches, participants prepare a hypothetical legal case and present it in a simulated courtroom competition held in May. In real and virtual courtrooms, before real judges and attorneys, teams try cases they have been preparing since the beginning of April. From opening statements, through direct and cross examination of witnesses, to closing arguments, each team has its own attorneys and witnesses and must be ready to present either side of the case before juries who score their performances.

About the Idaho Law Foundation & Law Related Education

The Idaho Law Foundation is the charitable arm of the Idaho State Bar. As a program of the Foundation, Law Related Education is a statewide civic education program that works to enhance public understanding of the legal system and bring together attorneys and teachers to help students of all ages understand the role of law in a democratic society. For more information, visit idaholawfoundation.org.

2021 Law Day Podcast Contest Awards

Posted on May 4, 2021 | updated: July 26, 2021

The Idaho Law Foundation’s Law Related Education Program is proud to announce that three Idaho students were selected for prizes in the Foundation’s award-winning Annual Law Day Podcast Contest. Student podcasts explored the 2021 Law Day theme celebrating the importance of advancing the rule of law. Podcasts explored how to promote the rule of law to better defend liberty and create a more just society.

The top three student entries include:

First Place: Sophia Willmorth, One Stone, Boise. Sophia is in tenth grade. Her podcast focused on the relationship between law and morality.
Second Place: Sarah Cole, Mountain View High School, Meridian. Sarah is a senior. Her podcast explored the application of American civil liberties throughout US history.
Third Place: Isabel Martin, One Stone, Boise. Isabel is a ninth grader. She created her podcast about inequalities in the American foster care system.

For the 2021 Podcast Contest, the Law Foundation began awarding an honorarium to the school of the winning student. Allison Parker and Jun Campion of One Stone offered their congratulations to Sophia and Izzy for their incredibly hard work on their winning entries. They indicated that the Podcast Contest has been a rich learning opportunity for One Stone students.

The Law Day Podcast Contest is open to Idaho high school students. Entrants submit 5 to 10-minute audio podcasts and can create their podcast individually or in groups. For 2021, the contest was sponsored by the Fourth District Bar Association, whose financial contribution allowed the Foundation to award prizes the top three entries along with an honorarium to the school of the first-place student.

Podcasts were critiqued by a panel of judges that included educators and attorneys. The judges scored the submissions on content, delivery, and production. One of the judges, Hon. Jessica Lorello, said, “I loved judging the podcast contest. The students are so creative in their presentations and thoughtful about the rule of law topic assigned in the prompt. It’s so inspiring to see (and hear!) students involved in civics education!”

The Idaho Law Foundation would like to thank our judges and sponsors for their support of the Podcast Contest. We appreciate their dedication to advancing civic education in our state.

The podcast entries can be accessed from the Law Foundation’s website. For more information about the Law Day Podcast Contest, contact Carey Shoufler, Idaho Law Foundation Law Related Education Director.

Idaho Law Foundation Wraps Up Virtual High School Mock Trial Competition

Posted on March 22, 2021 | updated: May 19, 2021

The Idaho Law Foundation’s Law Related Education Program hosted its annual High School Mock Trial State Championship from Thursday to Saturday, March 18 to 20. For 2021, the three-day tournament was held virtually. This year students explored a criminal mock trial case that centered on a charge of domestic terrorism involving the destruction of a dam in the fictional state of Monida.

All teams in the state competition participated in four rounds of competition in virtual Zoom Courtrooms on Thursday and Friday with the top two teams facing off for the state championship on Saturday morning.

The 2021 state competition involved 150 high school students on 15 teams. 125 teachers, judges, attorneys, and other community leaders donated their time to serve as coaches, advisors, judges, and competition staff.

The following teams placed in the top five for Idaho’s state tournament:

2021 State Champion: The Ambrose School, Meridian
State Runner Up: The Logos School, Moscow
Third Place: Mountain Home High School
Fourth Place: The Ambrose School, Meridian
Fifth Place: Victory Charter School, Nampa

Mock trial team members who played roles as attorneys and witnesses also had the opportunity to be recognized for individual awards. For each trial through four rounds of competition, each judge had the opportunity to select the students they believed gave the best performances for the trial. The top witnesses and attorneys for the 2021 competition include:

Top Witnesses:

Audrey Hansell (The Ambrose School)
Jordynn Hunt (Centennial High School)
Maria Jimenez (Thunder Ridge High School)
Kalkidan Meyer (The Logos School)
Reagan Moore (Sage International School)
Ben Perrigo (The Ambrose School)
Josiah Rauch (The Logos School)
Allie Reid (Mountain Home High School)
Marilla Story (The Logos School)
Sophia Thompson (Victory Charter School)
Paige Williams (Centennial High School)

Top Attorneys:

Zach Atwood (The Logos School)
Mya Brushey (The Ambrose School)
Nina Linder (Lewiston High School)
Nadjeda Luker (Centennial High School)
Hunter Marang (Victory Charter School)
Daly Marvel (Sage International School)
Ty Olney (Thunder Ridge High School)
Oam Patel (Mountain Home High School)
Kyleigh Rohrs (Mountain Home High School)
Samantha Snow (Sage International School)
Kristen Stanciu (The Ambrose School)
Ronen Wyrick (The Logos School)

In addition to the mock trial competition, Idaho’s mock trial program hosts a Courtroom Artist Contest as part of the program. Artists observed trials and submitted sketches that depict courtroom scenes. The top three entries for 2021 were:

First Place: Lily Giordano, Centennial High School
Second Place: Nicholas Remalce, Lewiston High School
Third Place: Josephine Wyrick, The Logos School

The Ambrose School will represent Idaho at the National High School Mock Trial Championship in May and Lily Giordano will represent Idaho in the National Courtroom Artist Contest.

Plans will soon begin for the 2022 mock trial season. For more information about how to get involved with the mock trial program, visit idahomocktrial.org or contact Carey Shoufler, Idaho Law Foundation Law-Related Education Director, at cshoufler@isb.idaho.gov.

About the Idaho High School Mock Trial Program

Idaho Mock Trial is a statewide hands-on civic education activity for high school students. Working with attorney and teacher coaches, participants prepare a hypothetical legal case and present it in a simulated courtroom competition. In real and virtual courtrooms, before real judges and attorneys, teams try cases they have been preparing since the fall. From opening statements, through direct and cross-examination of witnesses, to closing arguments, each team has its own attorneys and witnesses and must be ready to present either side of the case before juries who score their performances.

About the Idaho Law Foundation & Law Related Education

Idaho Law Foundation Program Receives National Award

Posted on March 2, 2021 | updated: July 26, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Idaho Law Foundation’s Law Related Education Program received a 2020 Law Day Outstanding Activity Award from the American Bar Association for its Annual Law Day Podcast Contest. The Award highlights the best Law Day programs from around the country that promote public understanding of law and integrate the Law Day theme into activities that serve the community.

The Annual Law Day Podcast Contest offers students an opportunity to win cash prizes while exploring the importance of the rule of law in the United States. Working individually or in groups, students submit a 5 to 10-minute podcast that ties to the annual American Bar Association’s Law Day theme.

Will Gunn, ABA Law Day Chair said of the award-winning Law Day Podcast Contest: “You were selected from a competitive national pool of applicants by a committee of leaders assembled from the legal community. The Law Day Podcast Contest demonstrated broad outreach to your community, with a substantive understanding of the Law Day theme. You engaged your audience in meaningful conversations to help foster understanding about voting rights and the role of access to the ballot in our American democracy. And, in 2020, you managed to do all of this in the face of a national pandemic that forced everyone to rethink their programs under extraordinarily uncertain conditions. The ABA truly commends your work.”

Greg Dickison, Chair of the Law Foundation’s Law Related Education Committee said, “A group of attorneys and educators who are committed to the importance of civic education and engaging young people to explore the rule of law spent many years developing our Annual Podcast Contest. We are honored to be recognized for our work.”

For more information about the Annual Podcast Contest, visit idaholawfoundation.org and click the Law Day link from the main page. For questions, contact Carey Shoufler, Idaho Law Foundation Law Related Education Director, at cshoufler@isb.idaho.gov.

Established in 1958 by President Eisenhower, Law Day is celebrated every year on the first day of May. It’s designed to help people better understand the law and our legal system and is centered on a different theme each year to spotlight important aspects of the law. For more information, visit the American Bar Associations’ Law Day website.

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Contact: Carey Shoufler, Law Related Education Director
208-334-4500
cshoufler@isb.idaho.gov

High School Mock Trial Volunteers Needed

Posted on January 27, 2021 | updated: March 22, 2021

The Idaho Law Foundation’s Law Related Education Program is gearing up for the 2021 high school mock trial season and needs judges, attorneys, and non-attorney community members to volunteer for judging panels.

The 2021 mock trial competition will be entirely online. Each team will participate in 2-4 preliminary rounds, followed by a state championship competition.

All trial rounds will be conducted online via Zoom. Judges will need:

A computer capable of joining a Zoom meeting
Access to Zoom from the computer’s camera and microphone
A reliable internet connection capable of handling two-way audio/video communication

Competition dates and times include:

Preliminary Rounds: Every Tuesday and Thursday from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. MT, starting Thursday, February 4th and running until Tuesday, March 9th.
Idaho State Championship: Thursday and Friday, March 18th and 19th with trial rounds beginning at 3:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. MT

You can sign up using our Online Volunteer Registration Form. If you have any questions, contact Carey Shoufler.

Thanks for helping make this year’s mock trial competition successful for Idaho high school students.

Statewide Podcast Contest for High School Students

Posted on December 1, 2020 | updated: April 21, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Carey Shoufler, Law Related Education Director
(208) 334-4500 or cshoufler@isb.idaho.gov

To celebrate Law Day, the Idaho Law Foundation’s Law Related Education Program is sponsoring a podcast contest for Idaho high school students. The contest offers students and schools an opportunity to win cash prizes while exploring the importance of the rule of law in the United States.

Students, working individually or in groups, are asked to submit a 5 to 10-minute podcast that ties to the American Bar Association’s 2021 Law Day theme: Advancing the Rule of Law Now. Students can develop their podcasts as a school sponsored project or may work independently to create their submissions. Podcasts are reviewed by a judging panel who scores the entries on content, delivery, and production.

The deadline for submission is Friday, April 16, 2021. Winners will be announced on Friday, April 30. Cash prizes are awarded to the top three entries: $1,000 for first place, $500 for second place, and $250 for third place.

The 2021 contest includes two new elements. In addition to prizes for students, the teacher (for school sponsored projects) or the school (for independent projects) of the winning student will receive a $500 award. Additionally, students may submit drafts of their podcasts to receive feedback from attorneys who volunteer to review drafts prior to final submission.

For more information about the 2021 Podcast Contest, visit idaholawfoundation.org and click the Law Day link from the main page. For questions, contact Carey Shoufler, Idaho Law Foundation Law Related Education Director, at cshoufler@isb.idaho.gov.

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U of I Offering Law Student Assistance on Pro Bono Work

Posted on November 12, 2020 | updated: March 22, 2021

The University of Idaho College of Law is committed to pro bono service. If you are a licensed attorney working on a pro bono case or employed by a government or non-profit legal services provider, complete the Request Law Student Assistance form to request the assignment of a pro bono student to assist with your case. Please review the supervisor expectations and scroll to the bottom of the page to fill in some information about you and your project.

Thanks for engaging law students in your public service mentorship. Please contact If you have any questions, please contact Kristi Denney, Pro Bono Director, at kdenney@uidaho.edu.

Fourth District Citizens’ Law Academy Postponed

Posted on June 24, 2020 | updated: August 6, 2020

In light of increasing proximity to the fall and ongoing concerns related to COVID-19, we have decided to postpone the Citizens’ Law Academy this year.

If you have questions, please visit the Citizens’ Law Academy website or contact Carey Shoufler.

Idaho Law Foundation Announces Winning Entries for 2020 Law Day Podcast Contest

Posted on May 1, 2020 | updated: June 2, 2020

The Idaho Law Foundation’s Law Related Education Program is proud to announce that three Idaho students were selected for prizes in the Foundation’s annual Law Day Podcast Contest. Student podcasts explored the 2020 Law Day theme celebrating the 100^th anniversary of the 19^th Amendment. Podcasts focused on a quote from Susan B. Anthony: “Someone struggled for your right to vote. Use it.” The prompt asked students to examine the importance of voting rights.

The top three student entries include:

First Place: Elinor Smith, Borah High School, Boise. Elinor is a senior. Her podcast focused on the importance of youth voting. She said she spent over 3 months working on her podcast and that “the best thing about making a podcast or doing any sort of journalism is that you don’t have to know anything about anything. The host puts themselves in the place of the listener and learns new things to share with listeners.” Next year Elinor will attend the University of Montana where she plans to study journalism.
Second Place: Sophia Willmorth, One Stone, Boise. Sophia is a ninth grader. Her podcast explored what voters’ rights have looked like throughout the history of the United States. She said, “I decided that I wanted to answer the prompt by retelling the stories of some of the original suffragettes that I felt were integral to the passing of the 19th Amendment.”
Third Place: Marilla Story, Logos School, Moscow. Marilla is a tenth grader. She decided to create her podcast because her history class was studying voting rights and she found the topic fascinating and important. She also loved being able to incorporate music from the time period into her submission.

The Law Day Podcast Contest is open to Idaho high school students. Entrants submitted 5 to 10-minute audio podcasts and could create their podcast individually or in groups of 2 or 3. The contest was sponsored by the Richard C. Fields American Inn of Court. Their sponsorship allowed the Foundation to award the top three entries prizes of $1,000, $500, and $250, respectively.

Podcasts were critiqued by a panel of judges that included educators and attorneys. The judges scored the submissions on content, delivery, and production. One of the judges, Cindy Wilson said, “Creative educational activities like this contest provide the best opportunities for young people to learn how to have their voices heard in their communities. That’s exactly what we saw in the excellent entries we judged; our future is in good hands with these students.”

The Idaho Law Foundation would like to thank our sponsors and judges for their support of the Podcast Contest. We appreciate their dedication to advancing civic education in our state.

The entries can be accessed by clicking the button below. For more information about the Law Day Podcast Contest, contact Carey Shoufler, Idaho Law Foundation Law Related Education Director, at cshoufler@isb.idaho.gov.

Podcast Submissions

About Law Day: Established in 1958 by President Eisenhower, Law Day is celebrated each year on May 1 to help Americans better understand the law and our legal system. Each year, Law Day is centered on a different theme to spotlight an important aspect of the law.

About the Idaho Law Foundation’s Law Related Education Program: Founded in 1974, the Idaho Law Foundation serves as the charitable arm of the Idaho State Bar. As a program of the Idaho Law Foundation, Law Related Education is a civic education program that works to educate the public about the role of law in a democratic society.

May 1 – 2020 Law Day!

Posted on May 1, 2020 | updated: May 7, 2020

The Law Day 2020 theme is “Your Vote, Your Voice, Our Democracy: The 19th Amendment at 100.” In 2019-2020, the United States is commemorating the centennial of the transformative constitutional amendment that guaranteed the right of citizens to vote would not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex. American women fought for and won, the vote through their voice and action. Find more ABA Law Day information and activities here!