Students Selected for Moot Court/Mock Trial Team

The top six students from Lewis and Clark’s Moot Court: Mock Trial class have been selected to represent the school in the Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA) Mock Trial Regionals held at Seattle University from February 7-9, 2020.

“The regional team is chosen from the students who take the Criminal Mock Trial class each fall semester” stated Professor Ed Kroll, who has been coaching the team since 2013. “At the end of the class, there is a 2-day mock trial competition, where the students, in teams of two, face off against each other over three rounds. Each round is a mock trial, scored by volunteer lawyers from the community. Simon and I use those scores as well as our observations made over the term to determine which six students will make the team.”

This year the team consists of Caroline Desmond, Trinity Hatch, Alex Jones, and Brittany Masterson. Meggie Kirchner and Jawan Muller were selected as alternates. Aside from selecting the national team, the competition also awarded Best Oral Advocate to Mallory Copeland, Trinity Hatch, and Alex Jones. Jawan Mullen also received the Professionalism Award. The Best Teams awards went to Mallory Copeland/ Emily Guimont, Trinity Hatch/Meggie Kirchner, and Alex Jones/Brittany Masterson.

The Moot Court: Mock Trial class is a practical skills course, taught by a former prosecutor and a criminal defense attorney.“The class structure is critical to success” stated Professor Simon Whang who has also been coaching the team since 2013. “Weekly classes are devoted to students performing in small groups, then receiving extensive feedback from instructors. Ed and I come from defense and prosecution backgrounds, as do our wonderful instructors Stacey Reding and Jenna Plank, senior attorneys at Metropolitan Public Defenders and the Multnomah County DA’s Office. The yin and yang of defense and prosecution, plus Ed and me making fun of each other, adds to dynamic discourse and a unique perspective for the students.”

Students will begin preparing for the competition in early December, but no matter the outcome, students learn practical lawyering skills. “We are extremely proud of our students, who work hard and learn to be excellent at trial” stated Whang. “They go on to great success as prosecutors and defense lawyers, civil rights and corporate attorneys. Our team members become as good or better at trial than actual practitioners. Many students say this was the most fun and most useful course they’ve ever taken in law school.”