A different kind of court was in session on Saturday at the U.S. District Court in Casper.

Though the security was the same - metal detectors, cell phones off, bag checks - the lawyers passing through the courtroom doors were younger and less experienced than most.

No one's career hung in the balance. No one was getting paid.

These lawyers came to court for fun. And, of course, for educational stimulation.

Students competing in the Wyoming High School Mock Trial Competition were dressed to impress, the boys in full suits and ties, the girls in skirts and heels.

The competition this year consisted of six teams, two each from Cheyenne East, Torrington, and Lingle-Fort Laramie High Schools. Teams prepare for court cases with their coaches (who are sometimes real lawyers themselves) and act in the different roles of a courtroom - prosecution, defense, and witnesses. The competition is judged by area lawyers, who score teams on their presentations.

Though they chattered excitedly before and after each court case, the students were all professionally behaved when court was in session, sitting quietly and carefully using phrases like "may it please the court," "yes, your honor," and "let the record show." Legal jargon passed back and forth among teams and the judge.

In addition to correct phrasing of questions, team members learned rules of evidence, proper court etiquette, and when to speak to the judge (basic rule: only when spoken to, unless objecting).

Steven Christopherson, a senior at Cheyenne East and the defense attorney in a case involving a hockey injury, said he had thought about becoming a lawyer before joining the mock trial team.

"This helped further my interests, for sure," he said.

Dragged into his first trial meeting by the coach's son, Christopherson said he enjoys the comradery developed during competitions.

"You can meet so many different people," he said. "And it's nothing too aggressive, which I like. In the end, everybody gets along and everybody is friends."

Part of being a witness in a mock trial is memorizing documents and, in the case of a "medical expert" like Cheyenne East senior Eleya Randall, learning medical terminology.

Randall, who also competes as a prosecuting attorney with her team, played the part of a neurologist in the case.

"A lot of it is making yourself look smart, and looking like you know what you're saying," Randall said. She and her team studied the packet of evidence provided to them and worked together in much the same way that real lawyers and witnesses do.

"You and your lawyer figure out what questions to ask to get out of you what they need," she said.

Pete Young, a lawyer with Casper-based Schwartz, Bon, Walker and Studer, who acted as the judge in Cheyenne East's hockey case, was wowed by the students' preparation and professionalism.

"For high schoolers with no legal training, it's really impressive," Young said. He noted the students' ability to twist facts in their favor and the well-organized nature of their presentations.

As the judge, Young tried to grant and overrule objections for each team "to give them perspective," he said.

"I gave each an opportunity to deal with adversity, because in real life things don't always go your way," he said.

Young hopes the competition will expand over the next few years and will, eventually, include teams from each of Casper's high schools.

"It's a really neat competition," he said. "It's a good experience for everyone."