La Salle-Peru students compete in state mock trial

Seven students from La Salle-Peru Township High School competed in the Illinois State Bar Association’s Mock Trial Invitational from March 16 to 17 in Springfield.

Students from 50 high schools throughout Illinois participated in the contest. The L-P team comprised seniors Adam Lane and Brock Terzick; junior Cameron Olivero; and freshmen Ryne Bubela, Alex Crooks, Henry Pinter and Jakob Terzick.

The L-P team was coached by Judge Melissa Olivero and Brian Towne. Olivero, a federal administrative law judge, and Towne, a special prosecutor with the Illinois Appellate Prosecutor’s Office, have more than 50 years of combined litigation experience.

This year’s problem, released by the ISBA in November, involved a motor vehicle crash arising from distracted driving and a possible violation of Scott’s Law. Students had to decide which witnesses to call and what evidence to admit. Students portrayed the witnesses and attorneys and were evaluated by attorneys and judges from around the state.

While in Springfield, the students received tours of the state Capitol, the Illinois Appellate Prosecutor’s Office and the Illinois Supreme Court. The Supreme Court tour was led by Justice David Overstreet, who allowed the students to sit on the Supreme Court bench and to tour the justices’ private residences on the top floor of the building.

The trip was funded by donations from local attorneys and other interested community members.