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From first place finishes to winning Best Cross-Examination, the New England Law | Boston mock trial, moot court, and advocacy teams have had a busy year. Keep reading to see what they’ve been up to.

Learning the law in a classroom is one thing. How about taking it for a test drive?

That’s just what New England Law students get to do when they join moot court, mock trial, and other advocacy teams.

These valuable activities build students’ legal knowledge, confidence, and lawyering skills. And competitions mean lots of practice for the real world. The 2017–2018 academic year has been full of these exciting opportunities!

Keep reading to see what New England Law’s moot court, mock trial, and advocacy teams have been up to—and stay tuned for future updates.

ABA Client Counseling Nationals 

Date: March 16, 2018
Host location: North Carolina Central University, Durham, North Carolina
Team members: Elizabeth O’Neil (2L Evening) and Luella Wong (2L Evening)
Coach: Lisa Freudenheim

After finishing first place at regionals, 2L Evening students Elizabeth O’Neil and Luella Wong narrowly missed advancing to semi-finals by one spot. They "represented the school with professionalism, skill, and dedication," said coach Lisa Freudenheim. "Our team was consistently complimented for their empathy, teamwork, and ability to elicit critical information from even reticent clients."

Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition—Regional Competition

Date: February 10, 2018
Host location: Brooklyn, New York
Team members: Caitlin Clifford (2L) and Erin Connors (3L)
Coach: Peter Karol

The 2018 trademark moot court team, made up of Caitlin Clifford and Erin Connors, flew down to Brooklyn to represent the school in a simulated trademark lawsuit pitting a craft beer maker against an organic wine company with a similar name. 

“Our team did a terrific job and received extensive praise from both rounds of judges for their forceful and convincing oral advocacy in particular,” said the team’s coach, Professor Peter Karol.

National Trial Competition—Northeast Regional Competition

Date: February 8–11, 2018
Host location: Suffolk University Law School, Boston, Massachusetts
Team members: Rachael Bandeira (3L), Pedro Familia (2L), James Hatch (2L), Ashley Jones (3L), Stacie Pavao (3L), and Jennifer Vera (2L)
Coaches: Barbara A. Dortch-Okara, Victor Hansen, and Tyson Ence (alumnus coach)

New England Law’s mock trial team gave outstanding performances and represented the school with distinction. While this year’s team didn’t make it to the finals, each participant gave an outstanding performance. Competition judges praised New England Law students for their zealous and capable advocacy. 

“Participating in mock trial gives students an excellent opportunity to develop and hone the advocacy skills that they will use every day in the courtroom,” said Professor Victor Hansen, one of the mock trial team coaches. “Through this competition students are also able to bring the theory of the classroom into practice. I often hear students tell me that this was one of their best law school experiences, and I’m proud of the hard work and dedication of each team member.”

ABA Law Student Division Client Counseling Competition—Regional Competition

Date: February 3–4, 2018
Host location: Fordham University School of Law, New York, New York
Team members: Kevin Morgan (1L), Elizabeth O’Neil (2L Evening), Dan Serafini (1L), and Luella Wong (2L Evening)
Coaches: Lisa Freudenheim and Melissa O’Mara (alumnus coach)
Honors: First Place (Elizabeth O’Neil and Luella Wong)

Elizabeth O’Neil and Luella Wong, both 2L evening students, placed first in the Regional Client Counseling Competition. They qualified for Nationals, which will be held in March 2018. Elizabeth and Luella beat out eleven other teams, coming from Albany Law, Fordham, Quinnipiac, Thomas Jefferson School of Law, Touro, and Brooklyn Law School. A second team of 1Ls, Kevin Morgan and Dan Serafini, also performed admirably, narrowly missing out on advancing to semifinals in a four-way tiebreaker.

ABA Criminal Justice Trial Advocacy Competition

Date: October 27, 2017
Host location: Quinnipiac University School of Law, North Haven, Connecticut
Team members: Rachael Bandeira (3L), Pedro Familia (2L), James Hatch (2L), Ashley Jones (3L), Stacie Pavao (3L), and Jennifer Vera (2L)
Coaches: Barbara A. Dortch-Okara, Victor Hansen, and Tyson Ence (alumnus coach)
Honors: Best Direct Examination (Rachael Bandeira) and Best Cross-Examination (Jennifer Vera)

New England Law’s mock trial team was a semi-finalist in the last weekend at Quinnipiac University School of Law. In the semi-finals Jennifer Vera (2L) and James Hatch (2L) tried the prosecution side of a murder case against members of the Brooklyn Law School mock trial team.

In addition, for the first time since the school began participating in this competition, New England Law was recognized for individual accomplishment in two areas: Rachael Bandeira (3L) won the competition award for the best direct examination and Jennifer Vera (2L) won the award for best cross-examination.

New England Law’s advocacy and skills teams include the ABA Client Counseling Competition, Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition, National Basketball Negotiation Competition, National Mock Trial Competition, and more.

Want to learn more about these opportunities? Contact the New England Law Office of Admissions.