UA School of Law Mock Trial Team to Compete Nationally

Akron, Ohio, March 18, 2003 — The University of Akron School of Law's Mock Trial Team is off to New Orleans to compete in the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA) 2003 National Student Trial Advocacy Competition March 20-23. The team qualified by winning all five of its trials in regional competition earlier this month. It is one of 14 regional teams that advanced to the nationals.

Team members are (advocates) Marco Bocciarelli of Chardon, Ohio, and Jennifer Mancino of Flower Mound, Texas, and (witnesses) Melissa Craemer-Smith of Smithville, Ohio, and Sally Estvanic of Spencer, Ohio.

The students will be accompanied by their coaches, UA trial team veterans Kim Kmetz '94, of the law firm Harshman Bernard & Ramage, Youngstown; Larry Sutter '89, of the law firm Sutter, O'Connell, Mannion & Farchione, Cleveland; and Ben Thalrose '02, of the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.

A second UA team also competed in the regional competition and lost in the preliminary rounds in a split decision after winning its first two trials. Members of the second team are (advocates) Cara Staley of New Knoxville, Ohio, and Martin Desmond of Youngstown, Ohio, and (witnesses) Beth Matune of Campbell, Ohio, and John Antel of Parma, Ohio.

The National Student Trial Advocacy Competition is open to law schools nationwide. The cases, which are assigned at the end of the first semester, are always civil cases and tend to deal with products liability, personal injury or medical malpractice/negligence issues. Teams are judged on their skills in case preparation, opening statements, use of facts, the examination of lay and expert witnesses and closing arguments.

“The mock trial experience provides law students the opportunity to develop and practice their advocacy skills before members of the bar and bench,” says Richard Aynes, dean of the UA School of Law. “Winning the regional competition and preparing for national competition require intensive preparation and countless hours of hard work by students and coaches.

“Our students are very fortunate to have a team of excellent coaches. Leading the coaching effort is Larry Sutter who has great experience in civil litigation. Larry recently was chosen by ‘The National Law Journal' as one of the 10 top leading trial attorneys in the country,” Aynes says.

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