About the program

Skyline Mock Trial

Who we are, what we do, and the legacy we're building.

Who we are

A team of Spartans

Since 2016, Skyline Mock Trial has grown from one squad into three competing teams. We're student-attorneys and student-witnesses — upperclassmen coaching underclassmen, arguing both sides of the same fact pattern in real courtrooms across King County and beyond.

Skyline Mock Trial full team
🛡️

Student-led

Captains set strategy. Older members run practices, coach witnesses, and build case theories alongside our advisor.

👥

Three teams

Green, Blue, and White — each carrying a full roster through the season. Every team has qualified for state.

🎓

IB Criminal Justice

Anchored in Skyline's IB Career-related Programme in Criminal Justice & Forensics, led by Curtis Von Trapp.

🚪

Open to anyone

No pre-law requirement. No experience needed. Summer tryouts are open to every rising Spartan willing to put in the work.

What we do

Competing in the courtroom

Each fall, Washington's YMCA Youth & Government releases a single case packet — fact patterns, witness affidavits, and evidentiary exhibits. We argue both sides of it all season: county rounds at King County Superior Court, state in Olympia, and invitational tournaments like Yale and Empire.

📁

Study the packet

Every team works the same fact pattern. From there, we build opposing theories — prosecution and defense — both grounded in the record.

🧠

Assign roles

Attorneys handle openings, directs, and cross-exams. Witnesses memorize affidavits and hold character under pressure.

🗣️

Compete

Real attorneys, judges, and law students score us on legal reasoning, objection timing, and courtroom demeanor.

🏆

Advance

County → State → Nationals. State rounds are held in working courtrooms with licensed attorney judges.

Our legacy

Spartans in court since 2016

2015-2016
Program taken over by Curtis Von Trapp with 15 members. Qualified for state with a 7th place finish in its first year under new leadership
2016-2017
Team member Sunny Tomar named Best Attourney in State
2017-2018
The first year the program brought two teams to state
2018-2019
Team member Heera Rajavel named Best Attourney in State, both teams qualify for state
2020-2021
First Empire Mock Trial appearence, third team formed, qualified for state 5th year in a row
2021-2022
Runner up in state competition, Yanda Bao earned Outstanding Witness distinction from Washington Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu, along with 13 other students nominated for awards.
2022-2023
First year competing at Yale Law School in Connecticut, securing a top 5 finish with Ananya Iyer taking home an Outstanding Attourney Award
2023-2024
A 1, 2, 3 sweep at district, along with attending the Empire Mock Trail Competition, taking home a 5th place result. White team took home 3rd in district during it's first year of competition
2024-2025
All three teams qualified for state being the second program in Washington mock trial history, Anya Iyer took home the Outsanding Attorney Award at Yale for a second time with another top 5 finish
2025-2026
10 consecutive years of State Qualification under Criminal Justice Teacher Curtis Von Trapp, taking home a 5th place finish at the Empire Mock Trial Competition