Judge Judy Ain't Got Nothing On Me

Last weekend I spent two full days in a suit and tie pretending to be 2 doctors while arguing about a fictional crime. This was my Mock Trial Regionals.

For those who don't know what Mock Trial is, imagine theater kids, debate kids, and future lawyers all locked in a classroom with about 6 or 7 Alanis. This year I had the privilege, or punishment, of being a double expert, meaning

I played an expert witness on both sides of the case. In practice that means you spend weeks, or in my case hours, preparing two completely different professional opinions and then confidently explaining both of them as if you didn't help think of a theory to try and tear them apart.

Round one was strong, we all felt good. It was the first time I ran through my line of questioning with my attorney (brilliant, I know) and I ate down.

Round two was a different story.

We got pummeled. It was one of those rounds where you realize there's levels to this. The other team came to kill, and they got what they wanted. I did fine though of course.

Round three was a full 180. We crushed the other team and left feeling a little too confident.

By round four, everyone was exhausted. After two days of arguing and thinking on your feet, staying locked into the case you've worked on for months drained all of us. But the round felt good. When we walked out, we thought we did enough.

Then the results came out...

We didn't make it out of regionals.

That moment was so strange. Months of practice and memorization coming down to a few ballots done by judges who only see a small slice of all the work you've done.

At its core, Mock Trial is about trying to understand truth through incomplete information. In a strange way, that process isn't that different from medicine.

Doctors rarely get perfect information. They have to explain complicated realities to people who are scared or uncertain. They have to stay calm under pressure and make thoughtful decisions even when the answer isn't obvious.

Mock Trial doesn't teach medicine, but it teaches something close to the mindset behind it. To have patience with uncertainty, respect for evidence, and the ability to stand behind your reasoning even when someone is trying to impeach you.

As sad as I am that my season ended, after reading affidavits for months, my chem homework isn't looking to bad. right now...

Picture from Google

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