Trial Team News
Trial Team Wins NTC Regional Championship
The Villanova Trial Team successfully defended its title as Regional Champions in the Philadelphia region of the National Trial Competition. The team of Elizabeth Levin '10 and Jennifer D'Iorio '10 defeated a team from Temple Law School in the final round to earn the 2010 National Trial Competition Regional Championship. Levin won the John J. Scott Memorial Award for Best Advocate for her performance in the final round. Levin and D'Iorio will go on to represent Villanova at the national championships, which will take place from March 25 through 27 in Dallas.
The Regional Championship capped off a strong showing by Villanova in what has historically been a highly competitive regional competition. The Villanova team consisting of Matthew Helman '10 and William Weiss '10 reached the other final round by defeating a team from the University of Pennsylvania in the semi-finals. Of the 22 teams participating in the regional competition, Villanova had two teams in the final four.
The teams were coached by Adjunct Professor Michael J. Lovell, Esq., Vincent Barbera, Esq. '09, a former trial team member, and David S. Santee, Esq., Assistant Dean for Trial Advocacy Programs and Externships.
Villanova Law's National Trial Team represents the law school in national and invitational mock trial competitions across the country. Students compete against teams from other law schools in simulated jury trials. A panel of experienced trial lawyers and judges evaluate each student's performance and often provide critiques.
For more information about Villanova's National Trial Team, click here.
Villanova Law Trial Team Wins Regional Championship
On Sunday, November 22, 2009, the Villanova Law Trial Team won a Regional Championship in the National Arbitration Competition, co-sponsored by the American Bar Association and the National Arbitration Forum. The team consisted of second year students Marianna Visnadul, Dwight Bailey, Veronica Williams, and Eric Lickstein. The case involved a claim for breach of contract brought by a non-profit organization against a charitable foundation. Visnadul and Bailey represented Villanova on the claimant side of the case, while Williams and Lickstein handled the respondent side. David S. Santee, Assistant Dean for Trial Advocacy Programs and Externships, coached the team.
The format of an arbitration competition is much like a mock trial, with student advocates delivering opening statements and closing arguments, and conducting direct and cross-examinations of witnesses. “What makes an arbitration competition different,” Santee explained, “is that the members of the arbitration panel question the advocates throughout the proceedings. This requires the advocates to argue extemporaneously, which our students did exceedingly well.”
Villanova defeated a team from the host school, Duquesne, in the semi-final round and a team from South Dakota in the final round. Villanova is one of 12 teams to advance to the National Finals in January.
For more information about the Villanova Trial Team, please click here.
Villanova Law Trial Team Brings Home More Honors
On October 17, 2009, the Villanova Law Trial Team reached the semi-finals in the Lone Star Classic, an invitational mock trial tournament hosted by Saint Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas. The Lone Star Classic is a highly competitive tournament, with several of the top trial advocacy programs represented each year. The Villanova team, selected after a school-wide tryout, included third year students Jen D’Iorio, Matt Helman, Liz Levin, and Will Weiss. The team reached the semi-finals by finishing second out of 16 teams after three preliminary rounds. Matt Helman took home individual honors, winning the award for Best Direct Examination. The team was coached by Adjunct Professor Michael J. Lovell, Esquire, an Assistant Defender with the Defender Association of Philadelphia.
With its performance in the Lone Star Classic this year, the Trial Team is continuing to build on its tradition of excellence. Last year, Villanova took first place in the Lone Star Classic in the fall and were Regional Champions in the National Trial Competition in the spring. “Our students excel because they are excellent trial advocates,” explained David S. Santee, Assistant Dean for Trial Advocacy Program and Externships. Santee, who is also the head coach of the Trial Team, explained the reasons for the Team’s success: “Our students do well because they combine sophisticated case analysis, meticulous preparation, and the quick thinking necessary to handle and capitalize on unexpected developments during the trial. Simply put, they do what successful trial lawyers do and they do it very well.”
For more information about the Villanova Trial Team, please click here.
