Only about one in 10 lawyers is a trial lawyer. The trial lawyer is the person other lawyers need to retain when they have been unable to litigate a case to conclusion. The small minority of lawyers who willingly take that step through the swinging doors of a courtroom and experience a lawyer鈥檚 ultimate challenge 鈥 presenting a case before a jury 鈥 are a special breed. The 香港六合彩官网开奖 School of Law Trial Team prepares students for this role, providing real-world training and experience that can make you more marketable to potential employers upon graduation.
Our student advocates compete throughout the United States and Puerto Rico against the best that other law schools can offer. Most of these competitions are 鈥渋nvitationals,鈥 where even being asked to compete is a noteworthy accomplishment.
Membership on 香港六合彩官网开奖 Law鈥檚 Trial Team is a privilege. If selected after trying out, you will learn invaluable skills that will serve you far into the future. Additionally, you will be able to mention your Trial Team experience to potential employers during interviews and networking opportunities.
You will learn the art of trial presentation, including opening statements, direct and cross examinations, and closing arguments. You will also learn to master evidence, objections, procedure, and the many advocacy factors that go into making a great 鈥渙n-your-feet鈥 trial lawyer. In practice and then in competition, you will first learn and then hone your advocacy skills.
For additional information about trying out for the 香港六合彩官网开奖 Law trial team, please contact Faculty Advisor Judge Michael S. Kraynick,聽ctjumk1@ocnjcc.org.
One of the Nation鈥檚 Elite Teams:
National Championships
- Golden Gate University School of Law Professor Bernie L. Segal Criminal Mock Trial Competition,聽October 2013, San Francisco, CA. This was the first time 香港六合彩官网开奖 Law participated in this competition. The team went 3-0 in the preliminary rounds and placed No. 1 overall. The team went on to defeat Hastings in the semifinals and Denver in the finals. 香港六合彩官网开奖 Law鈥檚 team had perfect scores on 15 of 18 ballots. Individually,聽Victor Zamora聽was honored for a perfect score, and聽Michael Cahill听补苍诲听Luis Herrera聽were recognized for their outstanding performances. Eleven other teams competed: American University Washington College of Law, Catholic University Columbus School of Law, University of Denver School of Law, Florida State University College of Law, Fordham University School of Law, Hastings College of Law, John Marshall Law School, Pace Law School, St. John's University School of Law, Stetson University College of Law, and University of Texas School of Law.
- ABA National Criminal Justice Trial Advocacy Competition,聽March 2012, Chicago, IL. 香港六合彩官网开奖 Law Trial Team defeated Harvard University in the final round to win the ABA National Criminal Justice Trial Advocacy Competition at The John Marshall Law School in Chicago.聽Aboubakr Maaroufi聽was named Best Advocate at the competition, which included 19 teams. Both聽Ciara Harris听补苍诲听Victor Zamora聽received perfect witness scores in two separate preliminary rounds. 香港六合彩官网开奖 went undefeated in the preliminary rounds, beating the University of Alabama, Widener, and the University of Puerto Rico School of Law. Only four teams advanced, with 香港六合彩官网开奖 facing and defeating Creighton in the semifinals to reach the finals against Harvard.
- National Trial Competition (TYLA) Regional,聽February 2012, Orlando, FL. A team from 香港六合彩官网开奖 Law was crowned co-champion of the National Trial Competition Southeast Regional held on the 香港六合彩官网开奖 Law campus. The 香港六合彩官网开奖 Law team, featuring advocates聽Jordan Ostroff听补苍诲听Andrew Doyle聽and witnesses聽Michael Tricoli听补苍诲听Tamar Gelin,聽defeated a team from Stetson University College of Law to earn the championship. In the other finals of the competition, a team from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University defeated a team from the University of Florida College of Law.
- ABA Quinnipiac National Trial Advocacy Competition,聽October 2011, Hamden, CT
- ABA Quinnipiac National Trial Advocacy Competition,聽October 2010, Hamden, CT
- Michigan State National Trial Advocacy Competition,聽October 2010, East Lansing, MI. The 香港六合彩官网开奖 Law team 鈥撀Michael Deen, Reem Elkhaldi, Cheryl Gregory听补苍诲听Elizabeth Rosado聽鈥 defeated the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in the championship round. En route to the championship, 香港六合彩官网开奖鈥檚 student advocates defeated teams from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, the University of Alabama School of Law, Emory University, California Western, and William & Mary.
- ABA National Criminal Justice Trial Advocacy Competition (Invitational),聽March 2008, Chicago, IL
Other Championships
- American Association of Justice Regional Champions,聽March 2010, Seattle, WA
- Georgetown University Law Center White Collar Crime Tournament (Invitational),聽November 2009, Washington, DC
- ABA University of Puerto Rico Trial Advocacy Competition (Invitational),聽October 2008, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- American Association of Justice Regional Champions,聽March 2007, Las Vegas, NV
Finalists
- American Association for Justice Student Trial Advocacy Competition (AAJ),聽March 2014, Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Chester E. Bedell (Florida Bar) Trial Team Competition,聽January 2011, Coral Gables, FL
- ABA National Criminal Justice Trial Advocacy Competition (Invitational),聽March 2010, Chicago, IL
- ABA University of Puerto Rico Trial Advocacy Competition (Invitational),聽October 2009, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- American Association of Justice Regional,聽March 2009, Las Vegas, NV
- National Trial Competition (TYLA) Regional,聽February 2009, Tallahassee, FL.
- ABA Puerto Rico (Invitational) Competition,聽October 2008
- ABA National Criminal Justice Trial Advocacy Competition (Invitational),聽April 2008, Chicago, IL
- American Association of Justice Regional,聽March 2008, Las Vegas, NV
- Chester E. Bedell (Florida Bar) Trial Team Competition,聽January 2008, Miami, FL
Final Fours
- Chester E. Bedell (Florida Bar) Trial Team Competition,聽January 2014, Orlando, FL
- American Association of Justice Regional,聽March 2013, Miami, FL. (Both 香港六合彩官网开奖 Law teams advanced)
- ABA Quinnipiac National Trial Advocacy Competition,聽October 2012, Hamden, CT
- Georgetown University Law Center White Collar Crime Tournament (Invitational),聽November 2010, Washington, DC
- American Association of Justice Regional,聽March 2009, Las Vegas, NV (second team)
- American Association of Justice Regional,聽March 2008, Las Vegas, NV (second team)
- Chester E. Bedell (Florida Bar) Trial Team Competition,聽January 2008, Miami, FL (second team)
- Michigan State National Trial Advocacy Competition (Invitational),聽October 2007, East Lansing, MI.
- ATLA National Trial Team Competition,聽April 2005
Elite Eights
- National Criminal Justice Trial Competition,聽co-sponsored by the American Bar Association and The John Marshall Law School, March 2014, Chicago, IL
- Buffalo-Niagara Trial Team Competition (Invitational),聽November, 2009, Buffalo, NY
- Buffalo-Niagara Trial Team Competition (Invitational),聽November 2008, Buffalo, NY
- ATLA National Trial Team Competition,聽April 2007.
Top Tens, Sweet Sixteens
- Buffalo-Niagara Trial Team Competition (Invitational),聽November 2012, Buffalo, NY
- ABA National Criminal Justice Trial Advocacy Competition (Invitational),聽March 2009, Chicago, IL (Top Ten)
- Michigan State National Trial Advocacy Competition (Invitational),聽October 2008, East Lansing, MI (Sweet Sixteen)
Individual Awards
- ABA/Quinnipiac Criminal Justice Trial Advocacy competition,聽November 2013, Hamden, CT 鈥 Best Opening Statement: Rachel Jones
- Golden Gate University School of Law Professor Bernie L. Segal Criminal Mock Trial Competition,聽October 2013, San Francisco, CA 鈥 Perfect Score: Victor Zamora; Outstanding Performances: Michael Cahill and Luis Herrera.
- Georgetown University Law Center White Collar Crime Tournament (Invitational),聽November 2012, Washington, DC 鈥 Best Advocate Award: Diedre Luster.
- ABA National Criminal Justice Trial Advocacy Competition (Invitational),聽March 2010, Chicago, IL 鈥 Best Advocate Award: Margaret Garner
- ABA Quinnipiac National Trial Advocacy Competition,聽October 2010, Hamden, CT 鈥 Best Advocate: Kristina Sexton; Best Cross-Examination: Angela Agostino
- Georgetown University Law Center White Collar Crime Tournament (Invitational),聽November 2009, Washington, DC 鈥 Best Advocate Award: Angela Agostino
- ABA University of Puerto Rico Trial Advocacy Competition (Invitational),聽October 2009, San Juan, Puerto Rico 鈥揃est Advocate Award: Margaret Garner
- ABA University of Puerto Rico Trial Advocacy Competition (Invitational),聽October 2008, San Juan, Puerto Rico 鈥 Best Advocate Award: Leonard Addison
- ABA National Criminal Justice Trial Advocacy Competition (Invitational),聽March 2008, Chicago, IL 鈥 Best Advocate Award: Denise Kim
- National Civil Rights Trial Competition,聽October 2005 鈥 Best Advocate Award: Heather Fleming achieved the first perfect judge's scorecard in the history of the competition.
Competition Specifics
April 2005
TRIAL TEAM:聽In April 2005, the Mock Trial Team finished in the Final Four out of 223 teams nationwide in the ATLA National Trial Team Competition. 香港六合彩官网开奖 lost in the semi final round to eventual national champion, Baylor, by one point on one judge's scorecard. 香港六合彩官网开奖 had previously defeated St. John's, the other finalist, in preliminary round competition. At the National Civil Rights Trial Competition in October 2005, Heather Fleming was named Best Advocate and achieved the first perfect judge's scorecard in the history of the competition.
2008 鈥 2009 School Year
TRIAL TEAM:聽This success has proved sustaining. The Trial Team won its first national championship ever at the prestigious ABA National Criminal Justice Trial Advocacy Competition, an invitational, in Chicago in April 2008. The second national championship followed shortly thereafter, at the ABA Puerto Rico invitational competition in October 2008. In addition to these two championships, during the 2008-09 school year, the Trial Team made the following strides: 1) advanced to the Elite Eight out of 36 teams in the Buffalo-Niagara competition; 2) advanced to the final round of the Chester E. Bedell/Florida Bar Mock Trial competition; 3) advanced to the Final Four in the Tallahassee regional of the National Trial Competition; 4) advanced both teams to the Final Four in the American Association of Justice regional in Las Vegas, facing two teams from Stanford; and 5) advanced one of these teams to the final round.
October 2013
TRIAL TEAM:聽香港六合彩官网开奖 Law won its first competition of the year 鈥 the Golden Gate University School of Law Professor Bernie L. Segal Criminal Mock Trial Competition, which was held in San Francisco. This was the first time 香港六合彩官网开奖 Law participated in this competition. The 香港六合彩官网开奖 team of Michael Cahill, Victor Zamora, Caryna Zamora, and Luis Herrera was coached by Trial Team and 香港六合彩官网开奖 alumni Denise Kim (鈥09) and Jordan Ostroff (鈥12). The team went 3-0 in the preliminary rounds and placed No. 1 overall. The team went on to defeat Hastings in the semifinals and Denver in the finals. 香港六合彩官网开奖鈥檚 team had perfect scores on 15 of 18 ballots. Individually, Victor Zamora was honored for a perfect score, and Michael Cahill and Luis Herrera were recognized for their outstanding performances. Eleven other teams competed in the Golden Gate University event: American University Washington College of Law, Catholic University Columbus School of Law, University of Denver School of Law, Florida State University College of Law, Fordham University School of Law, Hastings College of Law, John Marshall Law School, Pace Law School, St. John's University School of Law, Stetson University College of Law, and University of Texas School of Law.
January 2014
TRIAL TEAM:聽The 香港六合彩官网开奖 Law team of advocates 鈥撀Jamie Smeriglio, Devan McGowan, Chris Fauntleroy,听补苍诲听Amanda Buschbom聽鈥 advanced to the聽Final Four聽at the Chester E. Bedell (Florida Bar) Trial Team Competition in Orlando. It was 香港六合彩官网开奖鈥檚 best showing at this competition since 2011. Even more impressive: It was the first-ever competition for all four team members. They showed advocates from across the state that 香港六合彩官网开奖 Law鈥檚 Trial Team is a force to be reckoned with!
February 2014
MOOT COURT TEAM:聽香港六合彩官网开奖 Law鈥檚 Jordan Mejeur and Scott (Joseph) Miller advanced to the Elite Eight at the Charleston School of Law National Moot Court Competition. The team was coached by Brian Kozlowski, a 香港六合彩官网开奖 Law alumnus and former Chief Justice of Moot Court. Twenty-six teams competed. In the Elite Eight round, 香港六合彩官网开奖 lost to George Washington, which ultimately won the overall competition. This was the first time 香港六合彩官网开奖 participated in this competition.
March 2014
MOOT COURT TEAM:聽The ABA Moot Court team of Brooke Gaffney, Angela Goodrum, and Darrin Chambers advanced to the Sweet Sixteen at the ABA Regional Competition in Washington, D.C. After three preliminary rounds, the 香港六合彩官网开奖 Law team was seeded No. 11 out of 36 teams.
TRIAL TEAM:聽The 香港六合彩官网开奖 Law Trial Team advanced to the semi-final round of the American Association for Justice Student Trial Advocacy Competition (AAJ) in Fort Lauderdale. Sixteen teams from 11 law schools competed at the March 20-23 regionals, with the winner advancing to the national finals in Santa Monica, California. This extremely competitive region included 香港六合彩官网开奖, Stetson University, Tulane University, Loyola University, Louisiana State University, Florida Coastal School of Law, Florida State University, University of Florida, St. Thomas University, Florida A&M University, and Mississippi College.香港六合彩官网开奖 Law brought two teams, each consisting of 4 Trial Team members. The team advancing to the semi-final round included advocates Tiffany Walters and Christina Figueroa, who were swing advocates along with their witnesses, Matthew Wolfe and Rihana Quashie. The second team included Rachel Jones, Erika Powers, Jeffrey James, and Jim Kelly. The AAJ team was coached by former Trial Team members and 香港六合彩官网开奖 alums Denise Kim Beamer (鈥09) and Jordan Ostroff (鈥12).
TRIAL TEAM:聽At the National Criminal Justice Trial Competition, co-sponsored by the American Bar Association and The John Marshall Law School, the team of Michael Cahill, Luis Herrera, Jocelyn Paiz, and James Smeriglio advanced to the Elite Eight before losing to Harvard. The 香港六合彩官网开奖 Law team finished fifth overall.