ISBA High School Mock Trial Invitational
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The Illinois State Bar Association High School Mock Trial Invitational is a high school mock trial tournament that has been held every year since 1983. The event is administered by the Illinois State Bar Association. The winning team represents the state of Illinois at the National High School Mock Trial Championship. Originally held in Springfield, Illinois, the invitational moved to
Champaign, Illinois in 2013, before moving back to Springfield for the 2019 and subsequent competitions.
Format
Each school must submit a roster of no more than ten members.[1] The tournament consists of two preliminary rounds, with each school having a chance to represent both the plaintiff/prosecution and defense. After the first two rounds, the 8 (10, beginning in 2025) highest scoring teams advance to a final round.[2] The team with the highest point total following the final round wins the competition. At the end of the competition, several students are awarded outstanding attorney and outstanding witness awards, and the top three placing teams are announced. ISBA also releases the top 20 teams after the tournament.
Past Champions
The following is a list of invitational champions:[3]
- 2026: Normal Community West High School
- 2025: College Preparatory School of America (CPSA)
- 2024: College Preparatory School of America (CPSA)
- 2023: Maine South High School
- 2022: Timothy Christian School
- 2021: Evanston Township High School.[4]
- 2020: No contest held. Covid Pandemic Shutdown.
- 2019: York Community High School
- 2018: St. Charles North High School
- 2017: St. Charles North High School[5]
- 2016: Timothy Christian School (Illinois)
- 2015: Hinsdale Central High School[6]
- 2014: St. Charles North High School.[7]
- 2013: Hinsdale Central High School
- 2012: Hinsdale Central High School
- 2011: Glenwood High School (Illinois)[8]
- 2010: Hinsdale Central High School
- 2009: Hinsdale Central High School
- 2008: Highland Park High School (Highland Park, Illinois)
- 2007: Glenbard East High School
- 2006: Timothy Christian School (Illinois)
- 2005: Hinsdale Central High School
- 2004: Timothy Christian School (Illinois)
- 2003: Timothy Christian School (Illinois)
- 2002: Timothy Christian School (Illinois)
- 2001: Boylan Catholic High School
- 2000: Timothy Christian School (Illinois)
- 1999: Boylan Catholic High School
- 1998: Timothy Christian School (Illinois)
- 1997: Glenbard South High School
- 1996: Hinsdale Central High School
- 1995: Mt. Vernon Township High School (Illinois)
- 1994: Hinsdale Central High School
- 1993: Glenbard South High School
- 1992: Glenbard South High School
- 1991: Hinsdale Central High School
- 1990: Hinsdale Central High School
- 1989: St. Charles East High School
- 1988: Hinsdale Central High School
- 1987: Marian Central Catholic High School
- 1986: Glenbard South High School
- 1985: Glenbard South High School
- 1983–84: No winners announced.
Results By School
The following schools have placed in the top 3 at least once:[3]
State Finalists each year (only top 3 in order):
| 2026 State Finalists | 2025 State Finalists (moved to top 10) | 2024 State Finalists | 2023 State Finalists | 2022 State Finalists | 2021 State Finalists | 2019 State Finalists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal Community West High School | College Preparatory School of America (CPSA) | College Preparatory School of America (CPSA) | Maine South High School | Timothy Christian High School | Evanston Township High School | York Community High School |
| Timothy Christian High School | Timothy Christian High School | Adlai Stevenson High School | Normal Community West High School | Niles West High School | College Preparatory School of America (CPSA) | Glenbard East High School |
| Niles West High School | Normal Community West High School | Maine South High School | College Preparatory School of America (CPSA) | Adlai Stevenson High School | Timothy Christian High School | Evanston Township High School |
| Muslim Community Center Academy (MCC) | De La Salle Institute | De La Salle Institute | Bartlett High School | |||
| Bartlett High School | Niles North High School | Hinsdale Central High School | Evanston High School | |||
| Wheeling High School | Wheeling High School | St. Charles North High School | Highland Park High School | |||
| Hinsdale Central High School | Whitney M. Young Magnet High School | Whitney M. Young Magnet High School | Naperville North High School | |||
| St. Charles East High School | York High School | Whitney M. Young Magnet High School | ||||
| Adlai Stevenson High School | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| College Preparatory School of America (CPSA) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
National Championship
The winner of the ISBA High School Mock Trial Invitational has represented the state at the National High School Mock Trial Championship since its inaugural tournament in 1984.[9] No Illinois team has ever won the tournament, although Hinsdale Central High School finished in 2nd place in 2010.[9] Most recently, Illinois finished 16th at the 2026 National Championship in Des Moines, Iowa.
2026: 16th place in Des Moines, Iowa. Top 10 Outstanding Witness Jordan Stovall. [10]
2025: 13th place in Phoenix, Arizona. Top 10 Outstanding Attorney Samiha Amjad. [11]
2024: 13th place in Wilmington, Delaware. Top 10 Outstanding Witness Ahmed Iqbal. [12]
2023: 17th place in Little Rock, Arkansas. Top 10 Outstanding Witness [13]
2022: 19th place in Kalamazoo, Michigan (Online).
2021: 8th place in Evansville, Indiana (Online).
2019: 13th place in Athens, Georgia.
2018: 27th place in Reno, Nevada.
2017: 34th place in Hartford, Connecticut. Top 10 Outstanding Attorney Ryan Wolak.[14]
2016: 26th place in Boise, Idaho.[15]
2015: 19th place in Raleigh, North Carolina. Top 10 Outstanding Attorney Award James Walker & Top 10 Outstanding Witness Award Katherine Rodgers.[16]
2014: 10th place in Madison, Wisconsin.[17]
2013: 5th place in Indianapolis, Indiana. [18]
2012: 9th place in Albuquerque, New Mexico.[19]
2011: 12th place in Phoenix, Arizona. [20]
2010: 2nd place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Carl Oxholm III Award Vinay Nayak. [21]