Strict time constraints, introducing evidence, hearsay, impeachment; these and much more are all aspects that attorneys must juggle at once. For each Youth and Government Trial Court team, there are two attorneys, one representing defense and the other representing the plaintiff. This will be both Defense Attorney Diya Darshan and Plaintiff Attorney Bailey Williamson’s second year in Youth and Government. Diya has been an attorney both years while this is Bailey’s first time being an attorney, as she was an expert witness last year. For this season’s Nutty Negligence case, the defense will be representing Herb Salt, owner of the restaurant Herb’s Haven, and the plaintiff will be representing Wanda Waffle, a caring mother whose daughter with a deadly peanut allergy died from anaphylactic shock after eating from Herb’s Haven.

“It’s a very thrilling thing, especially in the moment.” — Diya Darshan

After closely reviewing the case, Diya and Bailey each have to come up with an argument for their respective clients. This must be done as soon as the YG season starts so that they will have time to comb through every affidavit and piece of evidence to start building their case. During competitions, attorneys open their arguments with their pre-written opening statements, introducing the court to their arguments and their perspective of the case. Then, one by one, attorneys call each of their three witnesses to stand for questioning and cross examine the witnesses of the other side of the case.

“The stressful part is whenever you have to respond to objections because there’s a very specific response that the judge is looking for.” — Bailey Williamson

During the entire trial, Diya and Bailey must carefully look for holes in their opponents arguments and respond to objections to their own case. After every witness has been thoroughly questioned, they will close their arguments with a closing statement, swaying the judge with an emotional retelling of the case, and then rest their case.