Preaching to the choir

This morning I got up bright and early to judge mock trial. Well, I
was not all that bright as it was way too early. But I managed to get
there on time with coffee. I am friends with many of my fellow judges
and we had some bonding moments grumbling about the guy who roped us
all into this.

But truth be told, I have always enjoyed judging mock trial and moot
court. There's a bit of an ego trip in the way these college or high
school kids hang on my every word. I'm a real lawyer so I'm like a
demigod to them. I also get a kick out of these kids who take
conducting a fake mini trial so very seriously. This isn't just a
hobby to them; it's an obsession. As an evidence nerd, I love watching
them argue intricate details about qualifying experts and which out of
court statements truly are offered for the truth of the matter asserted.

This morning, SO and I judged together because our friend set the
judge pairings. SO took the role of presiding judge who rules on
objections because he hadn't judged before. It quickly became apparent
to me that he would be the nice judge to my mean judge. He scored
higher and gave nice comments while I gave lower numbers and commented
on things they could do better. I never thought of myself as the bad
cop before. I hope the kids I judged harshly today understand that I
was judging them as if they were real lawyers instead of just treating
them like kids playing. I don't let any lawyers off the hook for
mistakes, even if they are just pretend lawyers play-acting on a
Saturday morning.

Tomorrow morning, we'll go back for round 2. This time, though, I'll
be presiding. Ha. They thought SO was just nicer in his comments. They
have no idea how ruthless I can be when I rule on objections! (here's
a tip: don't object that a question calls for speculation if the
witness personally observed something.) If I have to get up early on a
weekend morning, at least I can be a little mean to make myself feel
better. :)

Sent from my iPhone