Stand Up Mock Trial
GLADIATOR
1-ON-1 MOCK TRIAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Interested in judging? Click here!
GLADIATOR 2024
Our ninth annual GLADIATOR will be July 19-21 in Atlanta, Georgia. The tournament directors are Justin Bernstein (Professor, UCLA School of Law) and Will Warihay (Head Coach, Georgia Tech Mock Trial). Click HERE to apply. For any questions about Gladiator, please contact Will directly via email. We look forward to seeing you in Atlanta this summer!
Are you the Best in the World?
GLADIATOR showcases the best high school mock trial competitors anywhere. Since 2015, we've hosted more than 300 competitors from 25 states and 5 countries. They represent schools that have won county, state, and national championships. And they don't just compete for those teams; they star for those teams: collectively, these Gladiators have won more than 500 attorney and witness awards.
GLADIATOR is not a team tournament. It's one-on-one. Your teammates, coaches, and family can help you prepare, but once you enter the courtroom, you have no co-counsel. It's you against everyone else.
The winner gets the most iconic trophy in mock trial -- a life-size replica Gladiator helmet -- and the title of Best in the World.
Applications for 2024 are now open!
Any high school mock trial competitor is eligible, including those graduating this season (in other words, students are eligible to compete in GLADIATOR during the first summer after they graduate high school). The registration fee is $899, though we offer scholarships for students/families in need. Our goal is to include the best competitors in the world, so please don't let the registration fee deter you from applying. Click HERE to apply.
How it works
Each trial features exactly two attorneys (one per side) and two witnesses (one per side). The judge and jury score everything head to head. The two attorneys are compared to one another, and the two witnesses are compared to one another.
There are four rounds. During those four rounds, each Gladiator will performs each role once: prosecutor, defense attorney, prosecution witness, and defense witness. Placement is based on results from all four trials, with much greater weight on attorney performance.
After four trials, the four highest-scoring competitors square off as attorneys in two semifinals. The winners of each semifinal compete in the championship round. The winner is crowned best in the world.
Schedule
GLADIATOR kicks off with a Welcome Ceremony on Friday night, followed by competition on Saturday and Sunday: trials, an awards ceremony, and playoff rounds.
Here are our GLADIATOR champions posing with the trophy and tournament director Justin Bernstein (Megan Jones in 2015, Andy Parker in 2016, Audrey Shepard in 2017, and Tiffany Tam in 2018, Abby Branham in 2019). Ethan Marx was the 2020 world champion, and Connor Wright won in 2021 (both on Zoom). You can watch the championship trials on our Stand Up Mock Trial YouTube page.
The Logistics
Every competitor is guaranteed at least four trials (two as an attorney, two as a witness).
Registration is $899, which includes the case, (at least) four rounds of competition, a Gladiator shirt, dinner at the Friday welcome ceremony, and lunch on Saturday and Sunday. Meals are provided for Gladiators, coaches, and family members.
The Case
GLADIATOR will feature a brand new case specifically created for a one-on-one world championship: short enough to prepare in a month, complex enough to distinguish the best. The case will be written by Justin Bernstein, author of 25 mock trial cases, including four used at Empire. We release the case 24 days before GLADIATOR (after the mock trial season and school year).
Apply!
The application is free. But space is limited -- for years, we've had to turn away award-winning, state-champion competitors. We admit students on a rolling basis, so those who apply early often stand a better chance. Click HERE to apply.
