Bothell High School students Maddi Snowden, Dawson Honey, Scott Platz, Emilie McCormick, Kaitlin Fernandez, Kate Moyer and Kobi Robinson took second place in the regional 2015 YMCA Mock Trial competition and advance to the state competition, March 27-29, at the Thurston County Courthouse in Olympia, Wash.

Coached by team advisor John Messner, special attorney coach Brett Nagle and Bothell Municipal Court Judge, Hon. Michelle Gehlsen, the first ever Bothell team read and prepared the provided case “Cedar Confidential” to try as both the defense and prosecution.

Mock Trial teams from high schools throughout the state work with a teacher-advisor and an attorney-coach to present a hypothetical legal case before a real judge in an actual courtroom. Students prepare as lawyers—learning the rules of courtroom procedure and how to examine a witness to build a strong case—and as witnesses. In each round of competition, a team takes the role of the defense and/or the prosecution. Washington state attorneys and judges evaluated the teams on their case presentation, simulating real courtroom procedures and their ability to question witnesses. Top district and state supreme court judges will evaluate the state competition.