When Richard Liu ’25 arrived at Shipley as a ninth grader, he quickly immersed himself in student life, filling his schedule with clubs and a rigorous course load. After trying Model Congress, he wanted to pursue more activities with real-world relevance. “Other schools had law-themed clubs,” he says. “Shipley didn’t—so I started one.”

With history teacher Chris Simpson as faculty advisor, Liu launched the Mock Trial Club. In its first year, just six students joined. Three years later, the club has grown to more than 30 members and now fields two teams for competition. 

The group prepares for the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s statewide Mock Trial Competition —one of the largest in the country, involving over 290 high school teams. Preparation begins in the fall, with students first learning the rules of evidence and courtroom procedure. Once the 120-page case packet is released in November, the work intensifies: careful reading, legal analysis, developing arguments, rehearsing direct and cross examinations, and building performances as attorneys and witnesses.

“It’s a serious intellectual exercise,” says Simpson. “Students are doing close reading, public speaking, and critical thinking. These are skills we hope students carry beyond Shipley.”

Liu is most proud of the community he has helped build. “We’ve created a space where students learn from each other and grow together,” he says. As Liu prepares to graduate, junior Nathan Rivers ’26 will take the reins. “Try everything,” Liu adds. “You never know what it might turn into.”