Lori Loughlin's lawyer is 'grilling her' in mock trials ahead of court appearance

Lori Loughlin isn’t getting into the holiday spirit this year. Instead, she’s huddled in a room with her lawyers, prepping to take the stand to defend herself in the college admissions scandal, a source exclusively reveals in the new issue of Us Weekly.

“Lori has been meeting with her lawyers for days at a time,” says the source. “It’s her full-time job and she is very involved with her defense. When not at her lawyer’s office, Lori is emailing and texting with the team.”

The former Hallmark star and her team have also been conducting mock trials. “Her lawyer plays the prosecutor, grilling her,” says the source, noting that the sessions are “grueling.”

Loughlin, 55, and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, are each facing up to 60 years in prison for mail fraud, money laundering and a new charge — bribery — to which they pleaded not guilty in November. They’re accused of paying $500,000 to get their daughters Isabella, 21, and Olivia Jade, 20, into the University of Southern California.

The Fuller House alum is well aware of the risks she’s taking by testifying, but she desperately wants her day in court. “She’s adamant about it,” adds the source.

However, a plea deal is out of the question. A source previously told Us that Loughlin debated entering a guilty plea, but the fashion designer, 56, talked her out of it. “Lori turned the corner and backed out of considering a guilty plea due to her husband’s insistence.”