Hear From the
YLD President

Aloha,

The Young Lawyers Division (“YLD”) Mock Trial Committee is in full swing with the 2027 Hawai‘i High School Mock Trial season! With Kylie Takafuji returning alongside me as Co-Chair, we are excited to build off last season’s momentum and continue making improvements. All public and private high schools statewide are invited to apply, and as we expand our reach, we are making every effort to ensure this program is accessible to all students across the state.

As a proud graduate of Roosevelt High School, I am especially passionate about seeing more public schools get involved. We want to directly address a few common barriers to entry:

• Financial Support for Application Fees: We recognize that the $250 application fee can be a hurdle. If your school is eager to participate but facing difficulties raising these funds, please reach out to us at yldmocktrial@gmail.com. It is our goal to ensure that financial constraints never stand in the way of a team participating.
• Travel Reimbursements: For neighbor island teams, the Hawai‘i State Bar Association (“HSBA”) offers reimbursement policies covering flights, ground transportation, and hotel accommodations to make travel manageable.
• Fair & Unified Competition: Historically, neighbor island schools often had limited matches among themselves and did not always get the chance to compete in actual courthouses. This year, all matches will be hosted on O‘ahu, allowing neighbor island schools to compete alongside O‘ahu schools in real courthouses.
• Level Playing Field: Whether your school is returning or building a brand-new program, we are here to support you. We can help pair new teams with an attorney coach, and all competition materials are released to every school simultaneously to guarantee equal preparation time.

Competition should not be limited based on familiarity or those with greater resources. We want to empower students from every corner of our islands to step into the roles of attorneys, giving them insight into a potential legal career.

How to Get Involved: This program thrives thanks to our dedicated community. If you are interested in serving as an attorney coach, judge, or day-of competition volunteer, or if you would like to sponsor a school's application fee, please contact us at yldmocktrial@gmail.com.

Mahalo,
Lauren Watanabe