TEENS TO GET DAY IN COURT : HIGH SCHOOL KIDS TO PLEAD CASE IN CONTEST.

Byline: Alicia Doyle and Michael Coit Daily News Staff Writers

While the rest of the country has been tuned in to the latest developments in O.J. Simpson's civil case, more than 300 Ventura County teen-agers have been focused on their own version of the trial of the century.

Taking the roles as lawyers, witnesses, clerks and bailiffs in a prepared case, 15 teams from public and private high schools will be judged by 18 Superior and Municipal Court judges and scored by 85 private and public attorneys during the annual Mock Trial Competition to begin Monday.

Greg Truex and his Simi Valley High School teammates have been practicing for two months, sacrificing study time, social lives and free time after school. The team's rehearsals have included scrimmages at the Ventura County courthouse, so they have a taste of what it's going to be like on competition day.

``It's a lot of work,'' said Truex, a senior and team captain, who will play prosecutor during the competition. ``I want to be a lawyer someday, so this is good practice.''

This year's fictional case - People vs. Clevenger - is set at Sierra City High School, where a computer room is vandalized, grades are changed and no fingerprints are left behind. The trial features evidence and questioning on vandalism, computer crimes, and search-and-seizure issues.

Because paint-stained gloves were found during a questionable locker search, team members have been studying Simpson's double murder trial, in which the discovery of a pair of bloody gloves was clouded by questionable circumstances.

Since Simpson's high-profile wrongful death civil trial continues to keep the nation's attention, similarities in the Clevenger trial are all the more interesting, said Simi Valley team coach Rob Collins.

``The O.J. case has increased their awareness - they are learning more about reasonable doubt,'' said Collins, who teaches American government and coaches the school's Academic Decathlon team.

Collins added that the mock trial competition gets better every year. ``Many students decide they want to be lawyers after this.''

Students work with professional lawyers during practices and scrimmages. In addition to learning about the judicial process, students are given the chance to develop skills in oral language, expression and speech, said Diane Dempwolf, director of curriculum and instruction for the Ventura County superintendent of schools.

``They are given the opportunity to see their role models in action, working in a realistic setting,'' Dempwolf said. ``This is another way to make learning exciting and meaningful to students, while at the same time involving members of the legal community in education.''

Don Glynn, a veteran Ventura County prosecutor, has been working with the La Reina High School team from Thousand Oaks since the start of the school year last fall.

``We start practicing right after school starts,'' Glynn noted. ``They're great kids that you deal with.''

After a month of practice, the 22-member team - ranging from freshmen to seniors - has been honing legal knowledge and courtroom skills Sundays since the middle of October. Smaller groups also have practiced weekdays during that time.

That amount of preparation would make any criminal prosecutor and defense attorney envious.

``They're more prepared than any of us have time to be in a real case,'' Glynn said.

Glynn began coaching the team a decade ago when his daughter was a La Reina student, and he has continued the volunteer mentoring even after his daughter graduated seven years ago. The team has won the competition five times in that span, including the past three in succession.

Preparation is the secret to their success. ``We pretty much have everything in place by the end of December. After that, it's mostly fine tuning,'' Glynn said.

Schools participating this year are: Buena High, Camarillo, Channel Islands, Fillmore, Hueneme, La Reina, Newbury Park, Oxnard, Rio Mesa, Royal, Santa Clara, Santa Paula, Simi, Thousand Oaks and Westlake.

THE FACTS:

WHAT: 14th annual Ventura County Mock Trial Competition.

WHEN: Preliminary rounds 5:30-10 p.m. Monday and Wednesday. Awards presented at 10:15 p.m. Wednesday. Final rounds 5:30 p.m. next Saturday. Viewers are welcome but encouraged to remain in the courtroom throughout the entire trial.

WHERE: Ventura County Hall of Justice, 800 S. Victoria Ave., Ventura.

INFORMATION: [phone].

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos, Box

Photo: (1-2--color) Vince Chu, top, and Eli Erickson of Simi Valley High School present their arguments in practice for the annual Mock Trial Competition, which will begin Monday. Teams from 15 public and private high schools in Ventura County will compete in the event, which lets kids work with lawyers and judges.

Andy Holzman/Special to the Daily News

Box: THE FACTS (see text)