Objection Capital is a new and somewhat complicated concept in Mock Trial. This is a skill that should only be used by expert Mock Trial teams. However, this skill doesn’t mean it can’t be applied to beginner teams, as well. It is one of the less important skills in Mock Trial but it is helpful when competing against other high-level teams.

What is Objection Capital and How is it Useful?

Objection Capital (noun) – The amount of useful objections you can make in a single Mock Trial round. The act of optimizing the use of objections in a case-in-chief.

Here are the reasons why Objection Capital is useful…

• Reduce Wasted Time – If you make repeated objections, it ends up wasting time for everyone. Judges get bored when they hear the same repeated objections being made.
• Boost Credibility – If you limit objections to parts of the trial where it makes sense (i.e. Powerful Evidence, Blatant Misuse of Rules of Evidence, etc.), you end showing that you know when it’s the right time to object and overall boosting your credibility as an attorney.
• Keeping Jurors Interested – Objections often make jurors and judges lose track of the trial. Jurors and judges often become bored when they hear the same objections or objections with low value. If you limit the amount of objections you make to where its necessary, you can keep the jurors and judges interested and on pace with the case-in-chief.
• Reduce the Chance of Error – You reduce the amount of times you can make an error. Objections can open a can of worms where you might make an error and decrease your overall credibility. Getting an objection wrong and overruled makes your team look less credible.

How to Implement Objection Capital

Only you and your team will know when it’s critical to make an objection and reduce useless objections. Look over your chase-in-chief, practice against other teams, and understand critical rules of evidence. Once you know the in’s and out’s of the Rules of Evidence, you will know where it’s a good time to make objections and argue your objection.

• Study the Rules of Evidence – This is the important and underrated concept in Mock Trial. You MUST study the in’s and out’s of the Rules of Evidence. The Rules of Evidence is where you can really advance your skills in Mock Trial. Judges and jurors look for teams that know their Rules of Evidence and see them as being more credible.
• Implement a Limit – If you place a limit per attorney, you can limit your objections. For example, each attorney can get 4 objections and emergency objections.