MSL’s Trial Advocacy Team Wins the New England Region of the American Association for Justice Trial Competition and Advances to the National Finals.
Massachusetts School of Law’s Trial Advocacy team won the American Association for Justice New England regional competition held in Boston. The American Association for Justice, formerly the American Trial Lawyers Association, sponsors the premier trial advocacy competition in the United States. MSL’s teams only lost once during the entire competition. MSL advanced to the semifinals where it played a well-prepared and highly skilled Syracuse University Law School team. In a tremendous display of advocacy skills, MSL beat Syracuse to advance to the finals where they defeated the previously unbeaten Roger Williams University Law School team to win the championship. Teams from law schools throughout New England as well as Syracuse University Law School and Albany Law School competed in the New England regional matches of the American Association for Justice Trial Competition to determine which team would advance to the national finals in New Orleans.
MSL faced stiff competition throughout the competition to claim the championship. AAJ seeks to inspire excellence in trial advocacy through training and education for both law students and practicing attorneys. The association accomplishes this goal in part by sponsoring the National Student Trial Advocacy Competition, an annual nationwide trial competition. The competition provides the opportunity for law students to develop and practice their trial advocacy skills before distinguished members of the bar and bench. The competition is open to law schools nationwide. The AAJ has 14 regions across the United States and only the top team from each region advances to the National Finals in New Orleans.
Team members are Janine D'Amico, Peter Houston, Neil Judd, Amy Dimitriadis, Margaret Byrnes, Brittany L Forgues, Tom Horgan, and Becki A. Jacobson. Associate Dean Michael Coyne and Professor Anthony Copani head MSL’s Trial Advocacy Program. They coach the team along with Professor Dan Harayda and Professor Robert Armano.
MSL’s teams displayed a mastery of the law and rules of evidence in a negligence/ medical malpractice/failure to diagnose and treat trial. MSL’s teams demonstrated outstanding advocacy skills in presenting both the plaintiff’s and defendant’s case throughout the three days of competition. In praising the team’s performance, Associate Dean Coyne said that he was “pleased that the team could present such a compelling work of advocacy in representing both the plaintiff and defendant in such a complex case. They made their arguments in a thoughtful and persuasive way. Their mastery of the art of advocacy was impressive. They displayed extraordinary professionalism throughout the three days of competition and should be very proud of their accomplishments. As their professors, we are enormously proud of their advocacy. It is a pleasure to see this team do so well, as I know how hard they worked to achieve success. It is very well deserved.”
Every Professor and student at MSL should be very proud of the continued success of MSL’s Trial Advocacy Program. MSL has now advanced its teams in two different competitions to the National Finals. Our students will compete for the national championship of the Thurgood Marshall Trial Competition next week in Cambridge and the following week for the AAJ national championship in New Orleans. During the last 5 years no matter where our students go to participate against other law schools, be it Washington D.C.,San Francisco, Syracuse, Boston, Cambridge or in New Orleans, our students continue to excel and demonstrate their skills and the strengths of MSL’s educational program and everyone at MSL’s hard work.
The teams thank all of their professors, MSL staff and fellow students for helping them become great law students and advocates and instilling in them the confidence and skills to succeed against any adversary. Ut Veniant Omnes
