The Queens District Attorney's Office recently hosted its 10th Annual Mock Trial Competition, bringing together a diverse group of students from 18 nationally ranked law schools to face off in the Queen's Criminal Court's new, state-of-the-art facilities. The competition, which started last Friday, was a testing ground for these future legal professionals, as reported by the Queens District Attorney's Office .

District Attorney Katz praised the event, stating, “The Queens District Attorney’s Office is grateful for the support of the judiciary and defense bar every year to provide this immersive learning experience. We are especially pleased that so many exemplary teams from across the country participated in our 10th anniversary mock trial competition. The future of our legal system is bright as these students demonstrated a high level of dedication, preparation, and competence this weekend.” Notably, Chicago-Kent College of Law emerged as the winner of the competition, edging out the opposing team from Pace University, Elisabeth Haub School of Law, which took second place. The champion team consisted of Aidan Boyle, Kathryn Connors, John Travlos, and Allyson Weubbe, with Boyle receiving additional accolades as Best Oral Advocate in the final round, according to the same press release.

Throughout the event, the participants, all second-year law students, delved into a case study to prepare and present a mock trial. Each round, they were evaluated and scored by a medley of judges from Queens and Brooklyn and experienced prosecutors and defense attorneys. The comprehensive feedback served to hone the students' skills in the legal arena. The final competition rounds included two preliminary rounds, a blind quarterfinal, semi-finals, and the final round, culminating in an experience that was both instructional and competitive.

Scheduled around a robust and dynamic moot court trial structure, the competition was rigorously overseen by a team from the District Attorney's Office, including Senior Assistant District Attorney Courtney Finnerty, Senior Assistant District Attorney Courtney Charles, and Senior Assistant District Attorney Brian Hughes, under the executive supervision of Pishoy Yacoub, Executive Assistant District Attorney for Supreme Court Trials.