Introducing Mock Trials: An Opportunity for Everyone!

A new activity for Clarke Students has entered the curriculum. The Communications Program has added Mock Trials as an activity that will begin in the Spring of 2026 where they will officially begin their first trial as the final part of the class. This is the first time Clarke University has ever had Mock Trials, and they're already building a website for the club.

A Student arguing in a Mock Trial

Mock trials are an activity where students will act out a real trial. There will be a prosecution, a defense, a case that will either be written or based on a historical event with a judge, witnesses, and a jury. Witnesses will be assigned to the defense or the prosecution and will come up to explain either what they saw or their expertise on the case. Students will act in the roles of these witnesses, and students acting as lawyers must know the law they are practicing. It is planned to be as close to the process of a real-world trial as possible. Incorporating both forms of theater performance and law education.

One of the faculty mentors and idea leaders behind the operation is Clarke’s Instructor of First Year Studies and Director of Learning Services, Gina Burkart, who explains that her inspiration for Mock Trials was her own experience with it when she was a college student. A particular highlight for her was when she played “Sandy Shores” from North Carolina, an HIV positive individual who was on trial for biting someone and giving them HIV. When asked about her experience doing Mock Trials in college, Burkart had this to say: “I had a lot of fun… It’s academic in that you’re learning how to speak, you’re learning how to argue, you’re learning how to research, right? And it’s also very competitive...”

According to Gina Burkart, this class will teach students about argumentation and research. Throughout the semester, they will be building up to their final assignment: the first and final Mock Trial of the year. Gina Burkart hopes to perform the Mock Trial during the Celebrational Scholarship Conference in Jansen Hall so that students may come to watch and even participate as the jury.   

Breeyona Burrell, a senior and former president of the Mock Trials Club, had this to say about her experience pitching it to the school: “Originally, being in Gina’s classes, I had come and set up a seminar with her and we briefly, while doing the whole course, went over simulations and just built upon really working the case. We split that up and made the project—doing it with our group members and in class, and we spent specific class time going through the different articles and figuring out the best way to bring a Mock Trial to class.”

Gina notes how Clarke, as a university with 80% student athletes, has a very competitive student body, but needs more competitive academic courses to encourage the students to thrive, and she believes that Mock Trials can be that avenue. Mock Trial teams, much like debate teams, can compete between schools and even compete nationally. While the Clarke Mock Trials are too new to have that on the schedule, if the class does well, it will be a possibility.  “We don’t have a lot of venues for how to grow with academics, so I said, let’s do this. Let’s give another opportunity to compete, but in the venue of academics,” Gina says. Mock Trials will also allow scholarships, so people who come in to compete can earn money for school. There are already athletes doing both.

Burrell felt that Mock Trials were an edgy yet innovative idea to give students a new club to be a part of that was impactful and taught them comprehensive and critical thinking skills. “I think joining a club like this will benefit students not only educationally but personally,” she says, “They get to not only work collaboratively with others, but get a chance to see what aspects they can bring to a table when it comes to researching, analyzing, and just conducting a strong, not to say argument, but a strong case towards anything, because I believe that’s what you always need to do when it comes to transitioning into an adult.”

It's clear that the people who started Mock Trials believe it to be a great benefit to Clarke University’s student body; Burrell talks about how much she admires Gina for taking a chance on her and seeing their project come through. While Breeyona Burrell will be graduating soon and thus will not be able to fully see the success of the club she helped create, new and returning students can use this opportunity to strengthen their skills. Skills that are not only specifically in public speaking and debate, but also their expertise in nursing, sports, arts, literature, and more; they can use these skills to help contribute to and win trials. Breeyonaexcitedly notes, “I remember last year when we held the presentation right here in the atrium, and it was for all the students and faculty members to come and see the idea of our organization, and a lot of people were very inspired or very interested to see what this club would look like. It just was going to take the ideas and the work to put forward what [Gina] envisioned, and I think that is the program, and this club can go a long way here at Clarke.”

If Mock Trials becomes a popular class and activity at Clarke, this could mean better speaking and debate skills for every student going into any career, as well as an opportunity to flaunt knowledge in a chosen subject overall. This could even be an opportunity to better the overall educational merit of Clarke University.