After losing half its members to graduation last year, the mock trial team competed for the first time against other schools in an invitational on Jan. 17.

This Mock Trial Invitational, hosted by the Santa Clara County of Education, invites 20 teams from across the state to take part in a practice competition.

“It was very different from [weekly] practices,” senior co-captain, prosecution attorney Michael Chang said. “The case booklet is over 80 pages of equally important factual materials, and each team has the freedom to create a unique case.”

Saratoga High has some successful lawyers in the making on the mock trial team, which secured second place in Santa Clara County finals out of 22 schools, losing by a mere three points to Prospect High School on Feb. 22 at the Superior Courthouse. It was the best performance ever by a Saratoga High team.

Employing a strong defense, the mock trial team savored a verdict of non-guilty culminating in a 250-209 win over Valley Christian on Feb. 2 at the Santa Clara County Superior Courthouse.

Already on the ground and running after a relaxing winter break, the mock trial team is preparing for their first tournament on Jan. 15 at the San Jose County of Education.

With the first invitational only a month away, the mock trial team is undergoing its final preparations before a busy season of competition begins.

In recent weeks, a couple of roster changes have forced some veteran team members to take on added roles. After junior Anoop Galivanche could not participate because of other commitments, several tasks had to be re-assigned.

After an intense night of tryouts on Sept. 30, the school’s Mock Trial squad determined its preliminary cast. The team features several returning members, along with some new faces who will take on big roles as the team looks to advance this year following several years of disappointing results.

As the courtroom bailiff swore in the witnesses one by one, each team member was put on the spot to see if their three months of hard work would pay off. On Feb. 2, 4, 9 and 11, the mock trial team competed in the county competition held at the Santa Clara Courthouse.

Twenty hopeful students nervously sat in history teacher Margarita Morrelle's room on Oct. 13 waiting to be called in by mock trial head coach Dr. Hugh Roberts to try out for roles on this year's team.

For tryouts, each student had to act out the role of a prosecution attorney, defense attorney and witness based on an evidence packet that had been given out earlier. Roberts posted the team's line-up Oct. 16, and the 17 members went straight to work the next Tuesday.