Judge Empire Chicago

November 9-11
U.S. District Court, NDIL
&
The Palmer House

Have fun. Make a difference. Judge mock trial.

What to Expect at Empire Chicago

Volunteer as a judge or juror for one 2.5 - 3 hour trial

  • Watch an extraordinary group of high school students - 44 teams from 15 states and 5 countries

    • If you love the experience, you may volunteer for more than one trial!

  • Rounds start with a pre-trial oral argument, and each side calls 3 witnesses to the stand

  • Score the students on their performance and provide them with written/verbal feedback

    • We’ll provide you with laptops to make it easy for you to score and take notes

  • Enjoy a complimentary meal prior to trial, while listening to an overview of the competition

Prepare for Trial

  • Review an Evaluator’s Guide, which includes background on the case and guidance for scoring the trial

  • Review a Bench Brief (presiders only) which includes a roadmap and script for presiding, legal documents, and a list of questions that you can ask advocates during the oral argument

  • Watch 30 minute training video via Zoom (or YouTube) prior to the competition (scheduled for Wednesday, 10/30).


Where to Report

  • Your pre-trial training and hot breakfast or lunch is served at the Palmer House—we are meeting in the Empire Room on the lobby level

    • Free parking is available at the Palmer House’s garage, located across the street from the hotel

  • Once training is over, we will walk across the street together to the U.S. District Court

Opportunities to
Earn MCLE

  • Earn 1 ethics credit for attending a one hour MCLE workshop prior to the trial

    • Illinois lawyers are eligible to receive credit

  • Attorneys can earn up to 4 MCLE credits, if they attend all 4 seminars

  • List of seminar descriptions will be posted soon!

  • Empire partners with Eagle Cove Bar Services to process its MCLE certificates; we are not, ourselves, an accredited MCLE provider

Who We Are

  • Empire Mock Trial is a 501 (c)(3) education nonprofit that coordinates mock trial programs for high school students

    • Our mission is to educate, connect and empower young people to be more capable and compassionate citizens, who respect the rule of law, treat one another with civility and kindness, and who can distinguish between fact and opinion (Learn more)

  • Since our founding, we’ve impacted more than 10,000 students from 7 countries and 38 states, including schools from across Illinois—prior Illinois participants include:

    • Bartlett High School (Bartlett)

    • Chicago Christian School (Chicago)

    • Hinsdale Central High School (Hinsdale)

    • Maine South High School (Park Ridge)

    • Niles West High School & Niles North High School (Skokie)

    • Southland College Prep Charter School (Richton Park)

    • York Community High School (Elmhurst)

  • This is the fourth year that we are hosting a program in Chicago—we have also run competitions in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, San Francisco, and Hong Kong.

Our Impact: A Local Perspective

Teacher Testimonial: Niles West High School

"The Empire program changes students' lives. That is why I helped bring that program to Chicago--because of an intense desire to give more students in Illinois the opportunity to benefit from this amazing experience, while showing off our great city to students from across the globe. Please consider making this program possible by volunteering as a judge or juror--you won't regret it."

Jason Stanford
Former Mock Trial Coach, Niles West High School
History Teacher

Judge Testimonial: Circuit Court of Cook County

“Before Empire, I had never judged a high school mock trial competition. Quite frankly, I was a little skeptical as to how good they could possibly be at the high school level. I am no longer a skeptic. These high school kids are better at trial advocacy than many lawyers I see. 

The competition is run in an extraordinarily professional manner. Empire has it organized down to a science. I had no idea this could be possible at the high school level. Kudos to Empire, and I heartily recommend participation as a judge in this competition. You will be blown away by the quality of much of the trial advocacy.”

Judge James Shapiro
Circuit Court of Cook County

Schedule & Logistics

  • There are four (4) preliminary trials and a Championship Round

  • All trials are held at the , where you’ll enjoy breakfast or lunch while being trained

  • Our schedule for Saturday, November 9 and Sunday, November 10 is identical:

    • Rounds 1 & 3:

      • Arrive at 8:30 AM, if you intend to attend the one hour CLE workshop

      • Arrive at 9:15 AM, if you do not intend to attend the CLE workshop

    • Rounds 2 & 4:

      • Arrive at 1:45 PM, if you intend to attend the one hour CLE workshop

      • Arrive at 2:30 PM, if you do not intend to attend the CLE workshop

  • For the Championship Round on Monday, November 11, please report at 9:00 AM (location T.B.D.)

Are you interested in volunteering this fall?

We’re excited to meet you!

What We Do

Are you interested in volunteering this fall?

Complete the form below and we’ll see you soon.