The first rounds of CRIMSA's Criminal Law Mock Trial were held on on Friday, January 24, 2025 at OISE/UT. Team 1 faced Team 2, and Team 5 faced Team 4.
The results? Team 2 will face Team 4 at the final rounds on February 14, 2025. Spectators are welcome to register to attend.
Participants comment on their experiences
Ace Plantas took the role of attorney 3 for Team 2 and performed two direct examinations.
Its been a great learning experience for sure! It's a good starting point for anyone interested in mock trials or law in general and feel how mock trials operate at a university level. Its also very versatile in terms of accommodating to your experience level (whether you're just starting out or already an expert at it) and I'm really glad I was able to meet new people and network with likeminded undergrad students interested in mock trials. - Ace Plantas
Allyson Hernandez Carrillo acted as attorney for Team 5, performing a direct examination, three cross-examinations, a closing statement plus a closing rebuttal. Read her LinkedIn post about her experience at the Mock Trial.
I think overall, this was an enriching and interesting experience. I've participated in several mock trials before, but this is the first that I've found to be actually hard in practice! For team 4, our star witness and the majority of our prosecutorial team was M.I.A. We thought we were done for! - Allyson Hernandez Carrillo
Members of the jury
I loved the organization and how dedicated all participants were. It was truly inspiring to see everyone working together to make this event possible and enjoyable! - Fatma Sevim
The Mock Trial competition was very informative and engaging! - Kyra Niyogi
It was super fun and insanely interesting! Great way to get to know other people in the major without the awkwardness of a networking event. - Ariba Amer
I had an amazing experience with the CRIMSA mock trial. It gave me a place to learn more about mock trial in a supportive environment where I met new people in the CRIMSA program and was able to apply some of the knowledge from the Criminal Law course. - Kalaya Hudziec-Leiva
It was my first time participating in a mock trial. The welcoming environment made it very easy for me to participate! - Emma Nagata Clark
In all, 43 CrimSL undergraduate students participated in the event.
The judges
CRIMSA thanks Tom Melville, a retired lawyer, and Jordan Guberman, a U of T Law student, for serving as judges at Mock Trial first rounds. Melville will serve again at the finals.
I was really impressed with how well prepared, enthusiastic, and committed the students were committed to their roles in the mock. It was a great event for people to get first time experience with mock trials and the student leaders of CRIMSA did a fantastic job at making this mock as realistic as possible. Overall, it was a really fun event to be a small part of. - Jordan Guberman
CRIMSA contributors
Thanks go to CRIMSA for their hard work and stellar organizational skills in hosting their first-ever Criminal Law Mock Trial and creating this unique opportunity for CrimSL undergraduate students to participate.
- Charley McNeil, CRIMSA President
Organizing this mock trial has been an incredibly rewarding experience. I know these events can feel intimidating, especially for those who haven’t had the chance to start as early as others. With that in mind, the goal was to create a competition that was both challenging and welcoming to participants of all experience levels. CRIMSA wanted to provide students with an opportunity to engage with our legal system in a hands-on way while fostering connections among peers. There were certainly some challenges along the way, but seeing the dedication and passion from the teams on the day of the first rounds made all the effort worthwhile. I’m excited to see how the final round unfolds! - Charley McNeil
- Rainier Cava, CRIMSA Director of Academic Events
- Juria Katakawa, CRIMSA Director of Social Events
- Beatrice Timbol, CRIMSA Director of Social Events
“The CRIMSA Mock Trial was a huge success! As one of the timers for the first trial, I was fortunate to watch everyone involved (the prosecution, the defence, the witnesses, the jury, and the judges) do such an amazing job showcasing all their hard work and preparation for the trial. It was apparent that they were passionate about the role they played, making the trial entertaining and engaging to watch. I wanted to thank everyone who participated, and I look forward to the finals! - Beatrice Timbol
- Dean Tessaro, CRIMSA Vice President
- Olivia Florovski, CRIMSA First Year Representive
- Kalaya Hudziec-Leiva, Volunteer
About CRIMSA
The Criminology & Sociolegal Studies Students’ Association (CRIMSA) is an organization of undergraduate Criminology & Sociolegal Studies students at the University of Toronto.
CRIMSA aims to bring the Criminology community together and build stronger relationships between students, staff and alumni through social and career seminars, special lectures, interesting excursions and tours.
CRIMSA’s mandate also involves representing Criminology & Sociolegal Studies students’ interests to the university.
CRIMSA is an official member of the Arts & Science Students’ Union (ASSU).
See CRIMSA's Instagram page for their latest news.