Mock Trial Competition Round 4

Presenters
Chris Fernandes, Head of Legal, AppsFlyer
Mike Dorsi, Deputy Attorney General, California Attorney General Office

The San Francisco County Mock Trial program works with local high school students. High school teams compete in the trial of a hypothetical criminal case. Each school fields a team of students to act as lawyers, witnesses, and bailiff. Students prepare their case based on a packet of witness statements and evidence. Lawyers volunteer in the fall to coach students. They teach students the fundamentals of persuasive public speaking and evidence advocacy. Leading up to the city-wide competition, volunteers also critique students' performance. During the competition, attorneys volunteer to act as scorers and judges. The winning team goes on to represent San Francisco in the state and national competitions.

Agenda

5:30 – 6:00 p.m. | Training for Judges and Scorers
6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | Mock Trial Competition

Upcoming Dates:

• Mock Trial Competition Semifinals, February 10, 2026: https://portal.sfbar.org/SFBAR/Events/Event_Display.aspx?EventKey=X267216
• Mock Trial Competition Championship, February 12, 2026: https://portal.sfbar.org/SFBAR/Events/Event_Display.aspx?EventKey=X267217

What Activities Qualify under Rule 2.84?

Rule 2.84 permits attorneys to claim up to two hours of MCLE credit in a compliance period for serving as any of the following in eligible competitions:

• Attorney coach for student teams
• Scorer or evaluator in competition rounds
• Presiding judge or panel judge for mock trials, moot court arguments, negotiation or arbitration competitions, or mediation competitions
• These activities must involve substantive and procedural law and take place at the middle, high school, college, graduate, or law school levels.

Importantly, MCLE credit under this rule is participatory credit, meaning it counts toward the live learning requirement that is part of the 25-hour MCLE obligation every three years.

What Does Not Qualify?

There are a few limitations to be aware of:

• No credit for grading written briefs or papers associated with the activity. Only the live, participatory role counts.
• No extra credit for preparation time. Only actual time spent coaching, scoring, or presiding counts toward MCLE.
• This type of activity does not count toward specialty subfields such as legal ethics, elimination of bias, competence, technology in the practice of law, or civility training required under Rule 2.72.

Why This Matters

Rule 2.84 acknowledges that teaching and mentoring aspiring lawyers through competitive experiences contributes to practical professional development. Serving in these roles not only benefits students and young advocates, it also helps attorneys stay engaged with foundational aspects of practice such as advocacy, procedural strategy, and legal reasoning.

This form of participatory credit can be a meaningful supplement to your traditional CLE activities and a way to give back to the legal community while satisfying your MCLE requirements.

Tips for Claiming This Credit

• Keep documentation from the host organization confirming your role (coach, scorer, judge), dates, and time spent.
• Verify that the competition involves substantive and procedural law, as required under the rule.
• When reporting your MCLE hours, include these participatory credits under the appropriate category in your My State Bar Profile reporting portal.

For questions, reach out to educationalprograms@sfbar.org. The deadline to sign up is January 16, 2026.

Event Code: X267215
For a printable flyer, click here.

Cost

To Register

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Program Access
This is an in-Person program only.  Virtual access will not be available. Program recordings are not guaranteed and/or included with this registration, nor immediately accessible to registrants. Approved recordings of live programs are converted to On-Demand CLE Courses and available for separate purchase through a third-party library 30 business days after the live recording. 

Attending Programs
This event may be filmed or photographed. By participating in this event, you consent to have your likeness used for the BASF/JDC’s archival purposes and promotional materials. If you do not want to be photographed, please inform a BASF/STAFF person or the photographer.

If you are unable to attend, please contact diversity@sfbar.org.

MCLE Notice
To receive MCLE credit, you must sign in during the designated MCLE registration period. This activity is approved for Minimum Continuing Legal Education credit by the State Bar of California. BASF is a certified provider: Provider #103

Accessibility
People with disabilities and/or special requests should contact BASF regarding reasonable accommodations.