On March 5-6, after months of preparation, the sound of gavels and court arguments filled the Federal Courthouse as two of Bishop Gorman’s mock trial teams competed in the Nevada State Mock Trial Competition.
The case being performed, Jordan Vega v. AI-Ri Productions, was about a Las Vegas teacher who sued an AI media company. Not only did he think the company used his figure in an inaccurate way, Vega also worried about possible damage to his reputation. He sued AI-Ri Productions for misappropriation of likeness and false light. Between a regular class period and a practice every Wednesday and Thursday from 5:30 to 7:30, the teams worked endlessly to put their best foot forward at State.
Hailey Pasco ‘26 acted as a double witness for both plaintiff and defense, playing the person who brought on the lawsuit, as well as the defense expert witness. She has been participating in Bishop Gorman’s mock trial program for three years now, and it has not been easy.
“I think the most challenging part is applying your understanding of the case into your performance,” Pasco explained. “Witnesses are the only way to bring evidence into a trial, so being able to apply an understanding of certain exhibits based on your role is definitely the hardest part when it comes to preparation.” She continued to explain how she and her team have had to work together to overcome these hardships. “Our team works in attorney witness pairs. They work to figure out the best evidence to bring for our case theory, and help us feel ready no matter what,” Pasco said.
Even though mock trials come with a good amount of challenges, students have gained all sorts of crucial life skills that can help them in their future careers. For example, Isabelle Nassar ‘26, a double attorney who did both closings and was in charge of crossing Riley Carr and Dr. Del Benes.
“For me, mock trial has definitely been the most fun and rewarding high school experience. I have learned so much, not just about life, but also about myself,” Nassar said. “Not only am I walking away from the team with valuable skills like public speaking and critical thinking, I have also learned important life lessons that I will most certainly remember long after I leave Gorman. Mock Trial has taught me that life is unpredictable and I can only really do my part to try my hardest in the aspects of my life that I do have control over.”
Both Bishop Gorman teams gave the competition everything they had, with one team even placing third overall. On top of that, team members like Ellie Chow ’26 and Milan Prete ‘26 got numerous individual awards. Even though this is not the exact result they were hoping for, the mock trial team is proud of their hard work and dedication, and extremely grateful for the time they got to spend together as a team. “Mock Trial is hard, but with the right team, it’s a lot of fun!” Simar Jolly ‘26 said.
