From Witness Stand to Attorney: Woodward Park Mock Trial Inspires CCS Graduate’s Legal Career

September 22, 2026 — Victoria Heard was a quiet eighth grader when she stepped into the role of a witness for Woodward Park Middle School’s mock trial team in 2013. Thirteen years later, she returned to the school as a licensed attorney, ready to help a new group of students find their voices.

“It was a huge full-circle moment, and it still feels surreal,” Heard said.

Heard, an Eastmoor Academy graduate, is now an associate attorney with Kemp, Schaeffer & Rowe, where she practices family law. She passed the Ohio bar exam in November 2025, but the path to her legal career began years earlier with a fictional court case based on the novel “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.”

Woodward Park’s middle school mock trial program combined literature with legal education. Students studied a selected novel, built cases around its characters and events, and served as attorneys, witnesses, bailiffs, or timekeepers. They presented their cases during the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education’s middle school mock trial showcase at the Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center.

The process began months before students entered a courtroom. Teams read the assigned book, studied witness statements, developed questions and practiced responding under pressure. Volunteer legal advisers helped students understand courtroom procedures and sharpen their presentations.

Attorney Terrence Scott, a Brookhaven High School graduate and former juvenile magistrate, worked with Woodward Park students for several years. He said the team approached each case expecting students to compete at a high level.

“Woodward Park had a reputation,” Scott said. “They would purposefully put us up against the best teams in the state because we were a good barometer for other teams.”

Scott helped students pair strong performances with accurate legal reasoning. The team operated under a philosophy of “hard shots but fair shots,” teaching students to advocate assertively while remaining within the rules.

“We wanted them to see what it looked like to identify a problem and strategize about how to attack that problem,” Scott said.

Students also visited the courthouse and shadowed Scott while he served as a magistrate. The experience allowed them to observe legal proceedings and better understand how real cases employed the same tools they learned.

Judge Kim A. Browne, another longtime legal adviser, said the preparation extended well beyond learning courtroom vocabulary. Students researched themes for their cases, wrote and revised arguments, practiced public speaking, and learned proper courtroom etiquette.

Browne and other attorneys regularly challenged students during practices so they would be prepared for unexpected questions at the showcase.

“These kids were grilled during practice, and that’s why they did so well when they went to competition,” Browne said. “By the time they showed up at the Supreme Court, they were ready for anything.”

As a witness, Heard had to study her character’s statement until she could answer questions from either side without breaking character. She wrote responses for direct examination, practiced aloud and learned to work within the trial’s time limits.

“You have to know that person because this is someone you’re playing,” Heard said. “You have to really embody that character.”

The work demanded preparation, but it also introduced Heard to a career she had not previously considered. Browne’s presence gave her an opportunity to learn directly from a practicing legal professional. Years later, Heard’s first hearing as an attorney would take place in Browne’s courtroom.

“It opened my mind to, ‘OK, this could be a possible career,’” Heard said. “Participating in mock trial in my eighth-grade year at Woodward was that initial spark that created my interest in wanting to do something in the legal field.”

That experience led Heard to the Law and Leadership Institute, a four-year program serving students interested in law. She completed another mock trial before beginning her freshman year at Eastmoor and continued with the institute throughout high school.

Completing the journey was not always an easy task. Heard was the first among her mother and six older siblings to graduate from high school. No one in her immediate family had attended college, and she sometimes questioned whether becoming an attorney was within reach.

Still, Heard continued to excel. She graduated as Eastmoor Academy’s valedictorian and earned a full-tuition scholarship to Denison University. She studied sociology and communication before earning her Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from Capital University Law School in 2025.

Retired CCS Gifted and Talented Curriculum Specialist Matt Berkal coached Heard during her time on the team. He remembers her as soft-spoken, intelligent and deeply committed to the work.

“[Heard] was very quiet, but bright as a tack and just a pleasure to work with,” Berkal said. “Mock trial fueled her interest in the law, and her trajectory took off.”

Browne remembers another side of the young competitor.

“In law, we call it the velvet glove,” Browne said. “You don’t have to be the loudest person in the world. When you prepare the way she prepares and you’re quick on your feet, you can be a beast whether you’re loud or quiet. She is one of those quiet storms.”

The confidence students developed was only one benefit of participating. Browne said mock trial strengthened students’ research, writing, and speaking skills. It also encouraged commitment and accountability because students had to remain present and prepared to keep their place on the team.

Attorney Scott said those abilities remain valuable even for students who do not pursue legal careers.

“Not everybody wants to be an attorney,” Scott said. “But the skills you gain working as a team, speaking in front of groups and answering questions under pressure are skills you are going to take into your life. They will be with you forever.”

Earlier this year, Berkal invited Heard to return as a legal adviser and keynote speaker. For Heard, returning meant giving students the kind of representation she once needed.

“One thing I struggled with was seeing someone who looked like me in a position that I wanted to be in,” she said. “I felt good going back to show them, ‘I came from Columbus City Schools. I was doing the same thing you’re doing, and this is what I’m doing now. You can do it, too.’”

For Berkal, watching his former student address the next generation affirmed the program’s lasting value.

“When Victoria was up there speaking so eloquently, I thought of all the students who found their courage, their voice and their confidence,” Berkal said. “If I played any small part in helping with that, then I did my job.”