The Rhode Island Legal Education Foundation (RILEF) Is An Independent, 501(C)(3), Nonprofit Agency Chartered In 2017 As An Alliance Of Legal And Educational Professionals Committed To Promoting A Public Understanding Of The Law And The Legal Process Through Law-Related And Civic Education. The Rhode Island Mock Trial Tournament Has Been Conducted For Over Thirty Years! It Promotes Civic Responsibility And Involves High School And Middle School Students From Across The State In The Learning Process By Using Interactive Strategies And Community Resources.
In Collaboration With The Rhode Island Judiciary, Our Active, Volunteer Judges And Practicing Attorneys Help RILEF To Engage Hundreds Of Rhode Island Students, Educators, Administrators Each And Every Year By Offering A Unique, Behind-The-Scenes Look At The Judicial System.
Our Goal Is To Educate The Student Participants About The Judicial System And Provide Them The Opportunity To Attain New Perspectives, And Gain Self-Confidence In Ways That Classroom Learning Alone Cannot Provide. The Students Also Learn To Work Collaboratively As A Team. These Goals Could Not Be Accomplished Without The Large Number Of Rhode Island Teachers, Administrators, Lawyers, Judges And Other Volunteers Who Provide An Impressive Amount Of Time And Valuable Services To The Mock Trial Tournament. If It Were Not For The Assistance Of These Volunteers, The Tournament Would Not Be The Success It Has Been And Is Today. We Are Sure That The Students Will Have An Experience That They Will Treasure For Years To Come.
Through The Mock Trial Tournament, Rhode Island Students Are Provided An Exciting Educational Experience Where They Assume The Roles Of Attorneys And Witnesses To Try A Hypothetical Case Provided By RILEF. Student Teams Guided By Lawyer And Teacher Coaches Present Their Cases Before Members Of The Judiciary In Courtrooms Throughout The State; And Attorneys Acting As Performance Judges Score The Proceedings. Each Mock Trial Requires Two Performance Judges (Three For Playoff Trials, Thirteen For The Championship Trial Before Rhode Island’s Chief Justice Of The Rhode Island Supreme Court) To Decide The Outcome And Provide Constructive Criticism On Their Performances.