Elderkin litigator Bob LeSuer served as trial judge for several trials in the Region 2, District 2 (or, for Star Wars fans, "R2D2") competition for the Statewide Mock Trial Championship on February 1 and 2, 2022. The competition permits high school student teams to argue both sides of a hypothetical case in an actual courtroom setting. This year's fictional trial setting was a murder trial involving the death of a giant in the horse-racing industry, found stabbed to death with his own blade. Accused of the crime was a former disciple, and now rising-star business competitor who had every reason to want to see the victim put out of the way. Students prepared and presented both sides of this very interesting case. The trials were again held remotely thie year in a "virtual courtroom", due to the COVID pandemic.
This is Bob's eleventh consecutive year serving as mock trial judge. "It's very different being on the other side of the bench," said LeSuer, a civil trial attorney. "But I'm always amazed at the preparation and skill exhibited by these young advocates. They are to be commended for the time and effort they put into their cases."
This competition is sponsored statewide by the Pennsylvania Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, and involves teams from high schools throughout the state. The annual mock trial program, now in its 38th year, is one of the largest in the nation. The winning team in the state championship will represent Pennsylvania in the national mock trial finals. For more information on the local competition, check out this link: