By Sue Kiesewetter
The Cincinnati Enquirer

GREEN TOWNSHIP - For the past three weeks, 18-year old Nick Coorey has immersed himself in law.

That's because the Oak Hills High School senior prepared for two parts in this week's Hamilton County district Mock Trial competition. It is his third year participating in the trials, sponsored by the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education.

Coorey took on the role of a defense attorney in one trial and prosecuting attorney in the other. It meant spending five hours a day, six days a week preparing with his team.

"I've always been interested in law and politics and judicial matters," said Coorey, who plans to become a lawyer. "I like to be in charge of situations and I'm an avid debater."

This year's fictional trial case is the State of Ohio vs. Trillby Van Acker. It involves a motion to suppress evidence and whether it was legally obtained. Van Acker is alleged to have planted a bomb at a political rally on Memorial Day.

Each team in the state was given the outline of the case in October in order to prepare with their lawyer advisers. Teams participate in two trials - as prosecution and defense - and are awarded points. Districts send their top teams on to state competition.

Oak Hills High School sent five teams to the district competition - the most from one school. Two of the teams, including Coorey's, will compete in Columbus March 11-13, along with a team from Wyoming, McAuley and McNicholas high schools.

Last year an Oak Hills team won the state competition.

"There was friendly competition among the (Oak Hills) teams. We were vying for our legal advisers' attention. Sort of like survival of the fittest," Coorey said.

On Friday, 16 teams will compete to choose that district's two teams for state competition. The number of teams each district is allowed to send to state finals is determined by participation and number of district teams.

"It's really, really competitive and I like that,'' said Jon Hufford, a junior from Badin High School. "Plus you get to yell at people, and where at a school-sanctioned event do you get to yell at people?"

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