The first time I took an interest in James was on a Tuesday Afternoon. He was pacing back and forth down a long hallway, looking as if he was talking to himself. I thought it was interesting and decided I wanted to approach him. I found that he’s actually a really funny guy and as it turned out he was practicing a speech for mock trial. He’s turned out to be someone I really look forward to seeing in class, so of course I had to introduce him to HC.
Her Campus: Tell us about yourself.
James Caress: My name is James Caress and I’m a third year English major at UCLA. I’m barely 21 years old.
HC: Cool, what do you like to do for fun?
JC: Ruin parties, mostly. But I really like watching movies and running. Most of my free time is spent on Mock Trial and that’s really the most fun thing in my life.
HC: What do you do in mock trial and how does that facilitate your future career?
JC: Explaining mock trial is always difficult but basically we take an imaginary case and, pretending to be lawyers and witnesses, we act out that case over and over again. But it’s more complicated and interesting than just a play. The teams only have access to the facts that real lawyers would (document and affidavits) and we have to build our whole case from scratch. It’s as close to being a lawyer as you can get without a law degree. As to the second part of the question, the short answer is not at all. We are scored by practicing attorneys and sitting judges, but success in mock trial has no real bearing on law school admissions. The only ways that the activity helps facilitate a career in law are by providing the opportunity to interact with real lawyers and giving competitors like me a taste of litigation. Which I guess is pretty valuable in and of itself.
HC: Wow, so what made you want to become a lawyer?
JC: Mostly, mock trial. I have a blast competing and I get a huge thrill out of public speaking. I will soon have a degree that leaves me with very limited career options. It’s funny how things work out sometimes.
HC: Nice, so do you do anything else?
JC: I’m an RA which also takes up a lot of my time.
HC: What does that entail?
JC: It’s actually more about getting to know people than it is about policing the halls. I’m involved with a great group of colleagues, the job is rewarding and it’s well worth my time.
HC: So what’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
JC: I went spelunking a few years back and it was absolutely terrifying. I assumed we would be walking through massive caverns and instead we had to crawl in to this tiny hole in the ground that just led to more tiny holes and narrow tunnels. Turns out I’m not claustrophobic; otherwise I never would have made it out of there with my sanity.
HC: Okay wait. What is Spelunking?
James: Cave diving. It’s really cool, but not for the faint of heart or the inflexible.
HC:Okay so what’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you?
JC: Anytime someone gives me a compliment I never know how to respond graciously.
HC: No really, what was your most embarrassing moment?
JC: When I was five years old I moved with my family into a set of condos in Foxboro, Massachusetts. All of the other kids in the complex were playing tag and I wanted to make friends, so I started playing with them. I was having a lot of fun, so much so that I ignored the urge to pee. As I continued to run around, I peed my pants. My mom was furious.