Integrity
Fairness, honesty and respect guide everything we organise — from how a case is argued to how we treat each other.
About us
Opening the door to law
Youth Mock Trial ry is a registered Finnish non-profit association. We exist so that high school students have an equal opportunity to explore the field of law.
It began at 2 a.m. with a single question: “What if we organised a mock trial for high school students?” There was a gap in Finland — no mock trials existed for high schoolers. Irina’s late-night idea became a serious plan within weeks.
The founding team of five — Haira, Saku, Unna, Linda and Irina — persuaded a law firm to help write the first case and found a school willing to host the event. Together with Roschier, they built a competition format inspired by the California Mock Trial programme and adapted it to Finnish law.
In 2026 — again over a late-night call and one free weekend — Helsinki Youth Mock Trial grew into Youth Mock Trial ry, a registered non-profit with a broader mission: not only to run the Helsinki competition, but to build a community and open more doors into law for high school students.
Law is rarely accessible to young people, yet they are asked to decide their future early. We want that choice to be informed, meaningful and open to everyone.
What we stand for
Our values
Open to everyone
No debate background, no legal knowledge, no fees. Talent is everywhere — access is not, and we work to close that gap.
Education
We believe legal literacy is valuable for everyone, and that it should be within reach of young people too — not just university students.
A community run by young people
Our events are created by young people for young people. The board, organisers and competition design are led by high school and university students and recent graduates, supported by volunteer professionals — building a community where everyone is welcome and can meet others who share their interests.