Trial Format + Rules
Click on an option below to learn more:
4 Trials (Prelims)
You are guaranteed to compete in four trials.
2 rounds
as
Plaintiff/Prosecution
2 rounds
as
Defense
You are placed in one of two leagues (i.e. Sapphire or Premier League) and may only face teams in your respective league.
You cannot get eliminated from the competition.
6 Students Per Side
Each team must field 6 different students per trial: 3 witnesses and 3 attorneys.
Sapphire League: teams are given 3 witness statements on each side of the case and are required to call all 3 of those witnesses at trial.
Premier League: teams are given an extra witness statement per side, and may select the 3 out of 4 witnesses that they’d like to testify.
Note: both leagues use the same fact pattern.
-
The timekeeper must be a rostered student. You may have an additional student who is not competing in the given round serve as a timekeeper (our preference). But you may also use one of your competing students as a timekeeper.
A person who is not on your roster may not serve as a timekeeper—so a coach, chaperone and/or family member may not timekeep.
8 Team Playoffs
After 4 trials, the top 6 teams in the Premier League move on to a single elimination playoff tournament, joined by the top 2 teams in the Sapphire League (who are considered “promoted” to the Premier League).
Together, the 8 teams battle it out for the title of Empire Spring Leagues Champion.
Note: The advancing Sapphire League teams are given approximately 2 weeks to learn their Premier League witness statements.
Team Introductions
Representatives from your team will meet approximately 30 minutes prior to the start of your round for a Team Introduction, which will take place in your assigned courtroom. Your representatives will announce their witness lineup, complete relevant forms and show any enlarged exhibits or demonstratives to their opponent.
Note: Teams are permitted to enlarge exhibits and create their own demonstratives subject to Rule 4.5 in our Rules of Procedure.
55-Minute Trial Time Limit
At Empire, we give you 55 minutes to present the rest of your case. You may divide that 55 minutes however you like. For instance, you may spend 5 minutes on an eye-witness direct and 10 minutes on your expert direct; or 20 minutes on your defense directs and 30 minutes on your crosses. Just make sure you stay within your 55 minutes.
Our time limits allow you the freedom to present your case in the manner that you see fit. But with great power, comes great responsibility. Students must stay alert during their trials to ensure that time isn’t misallocated. For example, if a cross takes longer than anticipated, your students will have to adapt. The ability to use your time effectively and adapt to events that occur in trial is part of what we’re looking to test.
-
The “clock” starts when a speech or examination begins, and ends when a speech or examination ends.
The “clock” will stop during objection arguments.
A team that runs out of time will not be permitted to present any further examinations or speeches. A judge will give a score of “0” for any unperformed examination or speech.
15 Scoring Categories
Each trial will feature 2-3 judges who will score you in 16 different categories using a 1-10 scale.
+ 2X – Speeches – opening, closing
+ 3X – Attorney on direct
+ 3X – Attorney on cross
+ 3X – Witness on direct (one of which comes from your guest witness in another trial)
+ 3X – Witness on cross (one of which comes from your guest witness in another trial)
+ 1X – “Extemp” – team’s overall ability to adapt to a trial and to raise / respond to objections
= 15 categories
-
In awarding an Extemp score, a judge will assess a team’s ability to master the following skills:
Raise timely and appropriate objections;
Respond to objections with poise;
Answer the presiding judge’s questions during the POA articulately and coherently;
Incorporate trial testimony and evidence into examinations and closings, particularly if the incorporation seems unique, extemporaneous and organic;
Rebut a substantive point made by an adversary at trial; and;
Handle adversity with poise and maturity.
We communicate to judges that a team is not required to raise objections if there are no grounds on which to raise them. Refraining from raising frivolous objections is also a part of a judge's extemp calculus. Overall, judges are encouraged to grade the students on their ability to exhibit appropriate discretion when objecting, whether that means raising germane substantive objections, or refraining from making unnecessary objections.
8 or 12 Ballot Record
Your record at Empire will be out of 8 or 12 wins.
There are three primary categories that drive a team’s record at Empire: wins (ballots captured), strength of schedule (quality of your opponents) and point differential (the margin of your wins and losses).
If 2 teams win the same number of ballots, then we’ll break the tie by looking at strength of schedule (SOS); if 2 teams have the same number of wins and SOS points, we’ll look at PD. Tied ballots are allowed and will count as ½ of a win.
-
Number of ballots captured.
Your record is based on the # of ballots (scorecards) your team wins, not “round wins.”
Ex: If you win 2 out of 3 ballots in round 1, then your record is 2-1, not 1-0.
If your Empire competition features 2 judges per round, then your record is out of 8.
4 rounds X 2 ballots per round = 8
If your Empire competition features 3 judges per round, then your record is out of 12.
4 rounds X 3 ballots per round = 12
-
Strength of your schedule.
To calculate SOS, we look at the number of ballots that your opponents have captured.
We keep a running tally of your SOS throughout the competition, which you can view.Ex: At the end of 4 rounds, you’ve faced Teams X, Y, Z and Q, who have captured 5, 7, 9 and 10 ballots, respectively. That means your total SOS is 31–the sum of their wins
-
The margin of your wins / losses.
A 20 point win is more impressive than a 5 point win. When breaking a tie, point differential provides us with a way to reward teams with higher win margins.
We keep a running tally of your PD throughout the competition, which you can view.Ex: In Round 1, you won 2 ballots by 5 points and 10 points, respectively, and lost 1 ballot by 20 points. That means your PD is -5 (5+10-20) after Round 1.
-
Empire will use additional tie-breakers if 2 teams have identical records (after considering the above criteria).
Rules & Procedures
Competition integrity is so important to us at Empire. To that end, we publish all our rules and procedures online, and ensure that they are exhaustive.
We know that some of these documents are long and dense, so please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. We are here to help!
Registration
Policy
The terms of your team’s Empire registration are outlined in our Registration Policy. Here, you’ll find things like registration fees, roster size requirements, and the responsibility of the Primary Adult Contact in managing your team’s registration.
Empirion
Evidence Ordinance
Lists all objections that a team may raise during the mock trial. Our evidentiary rules are very similar to the Federal Rules of Evidence, though included rules may change slightly each year based on the case.* Teams that excel at Empire have a strong grasp on these rules and their application.
*For example, we may remove the subsequent remedial measures rule if it’s not applicable to the year’s case to help make our rules more manageable for students.
Rules
of Procedure
A compilation of rules that govern court proceedings in the state of Empirion, like time limits and communication restrictions during a trial. It also explains procedures for raising rule violations that may arise before, during and after a team’s mock trial. Students are expected to be well-versed in Empirion’s procedural rules.