Third-year law students from the Brendan Moore Trial Advocacy Center have set the bar high in this season’s noteworthy trial competitions.
Fordham Law won first place at the Queens District Attorney’s National Trial Competition that concluded on Oct. 20. Team members Michael Chubinsky ’20, Andrew Kim ’20, Paige Mainkin ’20, and Sarah Stein ’20 were coached by Kate Flatley ’15 and Johnny Johnsen ’16. They defeated 15 other teams, including Pace, Rutgers, St. John’s, Hofstra, and Touro.
“What I loved about that group was their teamwork. As soon as the judge recessed before closing arguments, all four students immediately huddled together around counsel’s table. Only one would be closing, but each one was 100-percent engaged and committed to winning the case,” said Adam Shlahet, director of the Moore Advocacy Center. “A moment like that confirms, to me, that competition is the best way for students to ‘get’ the focus and intensity of being a real trial lawyer.”
At the UC Davis MLK, Jr. National Civil Rights Trial Competition, the Fordham Law team—represented by Raina Duggirala ’20, Kyle Fleming ’20, Chris Keogh ’20, and Ashley Meadows ’20—came in second place out of 14 teams. They were coached by Zack Green ’14 and Tom Sperber ’18. Meadows won Best Closing Argument.
Out of a pool of 96 student advocates, the Brendan Moore Center’s Editor-in-Chief Aishling Fitzpatrick ’20 won Best Cross-Examination at Faulkner’s Mockingbird Competition. She was coached by Brit Russell ’13 and Rob Iodice ’16.
Mary Parker, who was advised by Joe Bianco and Krystyn Tendy ’09, won Best Cross-Examination at the Syracuse National Trial Competition, held Oct. 11 to 13.
During that same weekend, the Fordham Law team made it to the semifinals in the University of Florida’s Criminal Trial Competition. Mike Higgins ’08 and Greg O’Brien ’18 coached Eartha Jn. Baptiste ’19, Caen Dennis ’20, Michael Lovitch ’20, and Nicole Rubin ’20.
Looking ahead, six Fordham Law teams will attend five more competitions before the semester ends. Fordham Law will also host the upcoming 2019 Judge Paul Joseph Kelly, Jr. Invitational Trial Competition from Nov. 15 to 17 at the Lincoln Center campus and at the Southern District of New York Federal Courthouse. There, law school teams will prepare both sides of a federal criminal problem.