Monmouth County high schoolers who one day might hold destinies in their hands in America's justice system test their skills in a true courtroom setting.

Monmouth County Courthouse (Townsquare Media NJ)
Monmouth County Courthouse (Townsquare Media NJ)
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The annual Vincent J. Apruzzese High School Mock Trial Competition begins today and continues through January 21 in the Monmouth County Courthouse in Freehold.

Hosted by the Monmouth Vicinage and the Monmouth Bar Association, the exercise gives aspiring lawyers the framework of a case in which they function as attorneys, defendants and witnesses.

Winners move on to the regional semifinals to compete for the right to enter the state championship round.

This year, they're working on a fictional murder case. Students have prepared for several months, attending workshops and using extremely-detailed workbooks that outline the case, and their responsibilities, in painstaking detail.

Superior and municipal judges preside, and the students are coached and judged by more than 70 Monmouth Bar Association members.

Vincent J. Apruzzese, a past President of the New Jersey Bar Association, is credited with being the driving force behind construction of the New Jersey Law Center. He was the first Chairman of the New Jersey State Bar Foundation and also chaired its Public Education Committee.

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