Realms/10 Law & Sociology

Athena's Bench

Make sense of the mess, and look like a genius doing it.

This is the category where we take super-serious legal codes and hurl them into the chaotic dumpster fire of human behaviour. If you turned up expecting to memorise fancy Latin, wear a sharp blazer and yell "Objection!" like a TV lawyer, lower your expectations immediately. You aren't reciting what the law says. You're here to explain why a rule written by a man in a powdered wig two centuries ago collapses the second real, weird human beings try to follow it.

Category Head

Eshaal Hammad

Category Co-Head

Aiza Akbar

Rounds

Three rounds

Delegate cap

2 to 4 delegates

The rounds

  1. 01

    The Hearing

    • 2 to 3 delegates
    • Non-elimination

    Delegates are divided by their stances, with teams staying unfixed through the round. A buzzer system claims the floor, and if two buzzers clash the Moderator decides. Flags signal interruptions, and verbal interruptions are not permitted. It moves fast, so delegates are expected to stay attentive and respond promptly. Because this is round one, you may change your stance as it goes.

    • Prep time: 15 minutes after the motion is released.
    • Opening speech: 90 seconds per participant.
    • Open floor: 30 minutes, buzzer controlled, moderated by the category heads.
    • Points of interruption: allowed after 5 minutes, by flag, one speaker at a time.
    • Closing statements: 60 seconds each.
    • Cross-talk will not be tolerated.
  2. 02

    The Client

    • 3 to 4 delegates
    • Elimination. The top 25% of teams move to round three

    Each delegate is randomly assigned a real-life personality with a relevant case. Both sides argue real cases that could have gone either way, in character as that figure's legal team, taking innocence and guilt in either direction. This is not about impersonation or mockery. It is about how well the factual information is presented. One delegate per personality.

    • Prep: 30 minutes after the personality is revealed.
    • Opening statement: 2 minutes per personality.
    • Cross-questioning: 30 minutes, moderator and delegates asking direct questions in character.
    • Rebuttal: 90 seconds per delegate, answering the toughest question put to them.
    • Closing statement: 90 seconds per delegate.
  3. 03

    The Verdict

    • 2 to 3 delegates
    • The top two teams take Winner and Runner-Up

    A mock trial, with each team assigned prosecution or defence. Each receives a sealed case brief carrying enough legal ambiguity that the outcome is not predetermined. Teams prepare independently and in isolation before the round begins. The trial runs through examination and cross-examination of the relevant parties, then closing arguments from both sides, and ends with the Judge delivering a decision based on what was argued and evidenced.

    • Prep time: 30 to 40 minutes in a sealed room, no outside contact once prep starts.
    • Opening statements: 3 minutes each side.
    • Evidence presentation: 15 to 20 minutes each side.
    • Cross examination: 5 to 10 minutes each side.
    • Rebuttal: 3 minutes each side, defence first.
    • Closing arguments: 3 minutes each side, prosecution first and defence last.
    • Judge deliberation, verdict, and brief feedback.

Study guide

The full brief for this realm, as a PDF.

Enter Athena's Bench

Law & Sociology. Add it to your delegation's realms when you register.

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