[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.mtllawfirm.com\/blog\/gary-lemel-helps-fort-mill-middle-students-win-mock-trial-state-title\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.mtllawfirm.com\/blog\/gary-lemel-helps-fort-mill-middle-students-win-mock-trial-state-title\/","headline":"Gary Lemel Helps Fort Mill Middle Students Win Mock Trial State Title","name":"Gary Lemel Helps Fort Mill Middle Students Win Mock Trial State Title","description":"As a middle school student,\u00a0Gary C. Lemel\u00a0first developed his courtroom skills as a member of his school\u2019s mock trial team. This fall, Gary gave back by serving as a volunteer attorney coach for the mock trial team at Fort Mill Middle School. In December, the team celebrated taking...","datePublished":"2018-02-15","dateModified":"2025-09-03","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.mtllawfirm.com\/blog\/author\/mckinney\/#Person","name":"McKinney, Tucker, and Lemel, LLC","url":"https:\/\/www.mtllawfirm.com\/blog\/author\/mckinney\/","identifier":7,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0675484a19287fb44d7ab3be4957d9e2b04cd5b74f51a7719de762612db64cdb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0675484a19287fb44d7ab3be4957d9e2b04cd5b74f51a7719de762612db64cdb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"McKinney, Tucker & Lemel","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.mtllawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/MTLLaw-logo.png","url":"https:\/\/www.mtllawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/MTLLaw-logo.png","width":387,"height":95}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.mtllawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/mock-trial.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/www.mtllawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/mock-trial.jpeg","height":174,"width":261},"url":"https:\/\/www.mtllawfirm.com\/blog\/gary-lemel-helps-fort-mill-middle-students-win-mock-trial-state-title\/","video":{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"VideoObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=OlthP-EGRF0#VideoObject","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=OlthP-EGRF0","name":"Mock Trial State Championship Win","description":"Middle schoolers putting their talent of arguing to good use.","thumbnailUrl":["https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/OlthP-EGRF0\/default.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/OlthP-EGRF0\/mqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/OlthP-EGRF0\/hqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/OlthP-EGRF0\/sddefault.jpg"],"uploadDate":"2017-12-13T23:42:27+00:00","duration":"PT1M20S","embedUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OlthP-EGRF0","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UClAaATOWIWGqDKEQnBPDinQ#Organization","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UClAaATOWIWGqDKEQnBPDinQ","name":"CN2 News","description":"The official page for CN2 News in York County. 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Lemel\u00a0first developed his courtroom skills as a member of his school\u2019s mock trial team. This fall, Gary gave back by serving as a volunteer attorney coach for the mock trial team at Fort Mill Middle School.In December, the team celebrated taking home top honors at the\u00a0S.C. Bar State Middle School Mock Trial Competition.\u201cIt\u2019s one of the few activities at this age that requires kids to think on their feet,\u201d Gary told\u00a0CN-2 News. \u00a0\u201cThose skills never go away.\u201dThe South Carolina Bar Law Related Education (LRE) Division sponsors the mock trial program, which is open to public, private and home school students throughout the state at the middle school and high school levels.The program teaches students about the legal process and trial procedure. It also helps them to develop their listening, speaking, writing, reading and problem analysis skills, according to the Bar.\u201cAll participants are encouraged to keep in mind that the goal of the program is not to win for the sake of winning, but to learn and understand the meaning of good citizenship in a democratic republic through participation in our system of law and justice,\u201d the Bar states. \u201cAll who participate in the program are winners in this sense.\u201dThe mock trial competitions involve a fictional case. Students receive a full load of case materials and assume the roles of attorneys and witnesses for both sides. This year\u2019s case involved an unlawful \u201cwhisteblower\u201d retaliation lawsuit brought under \u201cEast Carolina law.\u201dGary joined Rock Hill attorney Nathan Sheldon in providing guidance as an attorney coach for the team of 14 students from\u00a0Fort Mill Middle. They prepared for competition by practicing for four hours per week for two months.\u201cIt was a pretty complicated case for middle schoolers,\u201d Sheldon said, \u201cbut they did a good job.\u201d After Fort Mill Middle won the Greenville Regional Competition in November, the students claimed first place among 12 teams that competed in the\u00a0state competition, which was held December 1-2 at Richland County Central Court in the Decker Center in Columbia."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.mtllawfirm.com\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Gary Lemel Helps Fort Mill Middle Students Win Mock Trial State Title","item":"https:\/\/www.mtllawfirm.com\/blog\/gary-lemel-helps-fort-mill-middle-students-win-mock-trial-state-title\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]