This spring, The Leffell School’s Mock Trial Team advanced to the state finals in one of eight New York regions, making history for the school.
Mock Trial competitions are academic tournaments where students simulate fictional civil or criminal cases in courtroom-style trials. At the state level, high school competitions are organized by the New York State Bar Association. Through their roles as attorneys and witnesses, students develop skills in constitutional law, courtroom procedure, public speaking and critical thinking.
I had the opportunity to speak with Jack Kriegel, a junior at The Leffell School and a key player in securing the regional victory as co-captain and lead defense attorney.
Two years ago, as autumn leaves swept across Hartsdale, Kriegel first joined The Leffell School’s Mock Trial team.
“It has a great reputation in our school,” he said. “It was something that always interested me. I also knew some of the people in it, and they seemed like intelligent and nice people.”
For 25 years, The Leffell School has built a strong Mock Trial program—but this year marked a turning point.
“This is the first time our school has gotten to states,” Kriegel said.
When asked what contributed most to the team’s success, Kriegel emphasized adaptability and communication.
“The main thing is how to listen to other people,” he said. “You have to listen to what they’re saying, figure it out, and adapt. I think that’s really powerful.”
He also described Mock Trial as a “good model for how to interact with others.”
However, this year’s competition did not come without challenges.
“We lost the first two rounds,” Kriegel said. “Luckily, those were the preliminary rounds. Our first playoff match was in March, and then we won the county championship. Our school had never done it before—especially since we started off slow. Then, we went to regionals.”
Additional obstacles arose when one playoff competition was scheduled on a Saturday. For The Leffell School, a Jewish day school whose religious practices prioritize rest on Shabbat, the team had to find a way to adapt.
The group of 14 could not write or use electricity, among other restrictions, meaning they had to rely on tactics such as colored Post-it notes to communicate with one another.
While the team was initially discouraged, Kriegel later told the New York State Bar Association that the experience ultimately felt like “a badge of honor.”
“We walked into that room and we identified as Jewish. We had kippahs on. Everyone knew that we weren’t able to write, but we took pride in that. We adapted, and it ended up working well,” he said. “We can still compete in mock trial and do well and uphold religious values that are equally important to us.”
Overall, Kriegel described the experience as incredibly rewarding.
“I highly recommend it to others,” he said. “It allows you to gain other skills—not just law skills, but collaboration, teamwork and research. It’s a lot of fun.”
