Hundreds of students, volunteers, attorneys and judges took part in the National High School Mock Trial Championship hosted by Civics First in Hartford recently.

The event, which pits students from around the country and a few international locations against each other in courtroom settings, takes place in a different state every year. Civics First Executive Director Beth Deluco said it took two and a half years to organize the competition.

“It was fantastic,” Deluco, a lawyer, said. “We had a lot of supporters and about 1,200 people in all participating, between the teams, the volunteers, the coaches and the observers.” Lawyers and state and federal judges volunteered time to assess students' performances at mock trial in actual Hartford courtrooms. About 30,000 students across the country participate in the program leading up to the national event.