As discussed above, the 2010-11 AMTA civil case will involve beads. Schools wishing to present the beads as physical evidence may purchase a packet of beads from AMTA. Only these beads may be used in trial. Each packet of beads costs $5.00 and contains 10 beads. AMTA anticipates that most schools will want to purchase one packet per team, but schools may purchase as many (or as few) packets as they choose.

To purchase the beads, please send a check and a self-addressed and stamped envelope to the American Mock Trial Association; 2700 Westown Parkway, Suite 220; West Des Moines, IA 50266-1411. Schools that have not yet submitted their registration payment for the 2010-11 season are encouraged to add the cost of the bead packet(s) to their registration costs and send AMTA a single check.

4:57:02 pm . 07/21/10 . announcements

Information related to the 2010 Board of Directors meeting can be found at the Board of Directors tab.

Note that if you are planning on attending the meeting, you are invited to complete the registration form linked to the 2010 Board Meeting page. The information collected will be used for planning purposes only.

7:14:30 pm . 05/10/10 . announcements

If you would like to host a regional or an opening round championship series tournament in 2011, the proposal form is now available. Navigate to either the Opening Round Series Information or Regional Info (located under the Mock Trial tab) and click on Host Information Packet. Proposals are due by Monday, 7 June at midnight EDT. If you have questions, contact Dr. Glen Halva-Neubauer, Tournament Administration Committee Chair, at glen.halva-neubauer@furman.edu.

6:04:07 am . 05/3/10 . announcements

If you earned witness or attorney honors at Regionals or ORCS and have not yet received your award, please contact Rules Committee Chair Johnathan Woodward at jgw225@gmail.com. Please include a shipping address.

9:44:15 am . 04/19/10 . announcements

The divisions for the National Championship Tournament were drawn at the conclusion of ORCs, in Boston.

Those divisions can be found on the tabulation page, along with all updated tabulation files.

1:38:38 pm . 03/28/10 . announcements

The Mock Trial Academy, a prestigious summer camp for high school students to learn the art of trial advocacy, is looking for Teaching Assistants. Interested applicants must be at least current college sophomores or law school students AND must have competed at least at the ORC level at some point in their college mock trial career.

More information about the Academy can be found under the Mock Trial Academy link under the Resources tab.

Please email information@mocktrialacademy.com for more information and for instructions on applying.

1:00:02 pm . 03/16/10 . announcements

AMTA is proud to announce that it has created an official twitter account, open for everyone to follow, @AMTAMockTrial.

Please follow us on Twitter, to keep apprised of all announcements related to the American Mock Trial Association.

9:41:35 am . 01/19/10 . announcements

Per the vote of the Board of Directors at the AMTA Mid-Year Meeting, all teams will be permitted to have up to 10 eligible participants on the tournament roster for AMTA-sponsored tournaments (regionals, ORCS, Championship). The prior rule allowed only one team per program to list 10 individuals and limited the other teams in the program to a maximum of 8 students. All teams may now list 10 students.

The Rulebook will be updated to reflect this change. The official roster has already been updated and is available in the Forms section. Questions regarding this announcment may be directed to Sara Zeigler at Sara.Zeigler@eku.edu.

2:13:31 pm . 12/31/09 . announcements

Pursuant to Rule 2.9(3) - AMTA does not make accommodations due to school breaks unless the institution can provide a written policy stating that they are prohibited from competing. Otherwise, it is not considered a conflict. This is necessary because of the large number of schools having winter/spring break at any given time. Accordingly, teams must operate under the assumption that it may be assigned to compete at a Regional or ORCS tournament on a date which they listed as a conflict. The rule provides as follows:

Rule 2.9

(3) POLICY ON CONFLICTS AND SCHOOL BREAKS. While schools may notify AMTA of scheduling conflicts due to winter, spring, quarter, or other breaks, exam periods, and similar matters, AMTA will not necessarily accommodate such reported conflicts. A school with a written policy which prohibits the school’s attendance a sanctioned tournament during a break or exam period shall provide a copy of the full school policy to the Tournament Administration Committee Chair.

2:42:42 pm . 10/19/09 . announcements

At this time, AMTA does not anticipate making changes or updates to the Midlands Rules of Evidence or Midlands Rules of Criminal Procedure. The 2008-2009 versions of these documents remain valid.

An updated AMTA Rulebook has been posted. It is available by clicking on the "Mock Trial" tab above and then selecting "Rules and Policies."

10:43:59 am . 09/22/09 . announcements

The intercollegiate mediation tournament formerly administered by the American Mock Trial Association is now under the auspices of the International Academy of Dispute Resolution. For information, please visit the IADR's webpage at www.adrpeacemaking.org.

1:05:36 pm . 09/3/09 . announcements

AMTA alumni and Coaches:

AMTA is seeking individuals to serve as AMTA Representatives for the coming season. AMTA Representatives officiate at regional, opening round and championship tournaments.

Those interested in serving should download the form by clicking on the case page on the Mock Trial pulldown menu. You do not need to log in to download the application. Please send the completed application to Sara.Zeigler@eku.edu. Questions can be directed to Sara Zeigler at that same address.

1:11:02 pm . 08/20/09 . announcements

With the 2009-10 case just days away, the AMTA Civil Case Committee is seeking submissions for the 2010-11 season. To download the one-page memo that outlines the submission and selection processes, go to the Mock Trial tab and click on Mock Trial Cases. Select the 2010-11 case, listed as ??? v. ???. The username is "2010" and the password is "case." The memo is toward the bottom of the page, listed under Case Documents. Let us know if you have any questions.

1:00:35 pm . 08/3/09 . announcements

A DVD of the national championship final between Northwood University and The George Washington University is now available for purchase from AMTA. To purchase, please forward a check to the AMTA office. The cost is $30.00 per DVD, and includes shipping and handling. Contact Susan Ewing at (515) 283.0803 or amta@dwx.com for payment questions and instructions.

11:46:41 am . 05/18/09 . announcements

With the changeover to a unified national system, new pairing rules were implemented in an effort to make sure the “best 8” or the “best 6” teams advanced further in the post season, depending on the particular tournament. With any substantial change such as this, AMTA is aware that many discussions have been had, regarding that changeover.

To that end, the Tabulation Committee is seeking comment regarding the current tabulation procedures for Regionals, and the Opening Round Championship Series. Please email all questions, comments, concerns, and suggestions, to the National Tabulation Director, at kristofer.lyons@gmail.com.

9:52:50 am . 03/20/09 . announcements

AMTA is pleased to announce its new partnership with Kaplan, the premier provider of LSAT preparation courses and law school admissions information. All AMTA participants and alumni are eligible for discounts on Kaplan products. To access the Kaplan page designed just for AMTA participants, log on to the current case page - the URL is listed simply as "Kaplan" in the "Case Documents" section.

Look for Kaplan representatives at your regional tournaments!

8:59:04 am . 02/5/09 . announcements

For the convenience of participants, AMTA is offering a 3-sided name wedge, with each side carrying a plate reading "Prosecution," "Plaintiff" or "Defense." These durable wooden wedges can be used for multiple years, regardless of whether the case involves a civil or criminal action. Name wedges may be purchased from AMTA for $35 each, which includes shipping. Please contact Susan Ewing at the AMTA office to place your order in time for the upcoming season.

Purchase of a name wedge from AMTA is not required, but all teams must comply with the requirement that counsel tables be marked with placards. Hosts will NOT provide placards for this purpose.

9:05:34 pm . 08/31/06 . announcements