LAW BRIEFS

NATIONAL TRIAL TEAM SWEEPS
TWO REGIONAL TOURNAMENTS

The Suffolk University Law School National Trial Team won its eighth straight New England Regional Championship in the American College of Trial Lawyers’ National Trial Competition (NTC) in February, and then swept the American Association for Justice (AAJ) Student Trial Advocacy Competition Boston Regionals two weeks later for the second year in a row.

This marks the first time that Suffolk Law has captured all four top spots in New England in the two open national tournaments.
At the NTC competition, third-year day student Gail Ryan and fourth-year evening student John Martin defeated Yale Law School in the final round while second-year day students Patrick Driscoll and Katie Bagdis and third-year day student Gretchen Sherwood prevailed over Franklin Pierce Law Center in the finals. Driscoll also won the competition’s Best Advocate Award.

The regional win marks the eighth consecutive trip to the NTC national championships for Suffolk Law, a record surpassed by only one other law school in the nation. This is also the second time in four years that two Suffolk Law teams have swept the NTC regionals. The five teammates traveled to San Antonio, Texas, in March to compete in the national competition.

In the AAJ competition, third-year student Cailin Campbell, third-year evening students Mike Cyr and John Sares, and second-year student Christine Hammer defeated nationally ranked Washington University at St. Louis in the semifinals. The other Suffolk Law team, made up of third-year students Ben Farrell, Jon Marlin, Elle Rackemann, and J.J. Wellemeyer, beat Marquette Law School in the semifinals, and then ultimately defeated the other Suffolk Law team for the championship.

This is the second year in a row that the team has captured the top two spots in the AAJ competition. The teams attended the national championship in West Palm Beach, Florida, in April.
The Suffolk Law National Trial Team is coached by Professor Timothy Wilton as well as alumni coaches Jason Drori JD ’05, Erin Harris JD ’06, and Paul Caruso JD ’07.

“The Suffolk Law National Trial Team has developed the most effective law student trial advocacy training program in New England,” says Wilton. “Our success is due to the National Trial Team alumni, themselves all New England regional champions, who come back every year to coach and to shape the program, and to the incredibly dedicated students whose talent and hard work inspire their coaches.”

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