Wilson Elser trial lawyers – some seasoned, others up and coming – convened at the firm's New York City office on Friday and Saturday, March 22 and 23, for the Wilson Elser Mock Trial Invitational. The culmination of weeks of preparation and the latest iteration of the firm's mock trial competitions, the Invitational succeeded on every level. Participants included Wilson Elser National Trial Team (NTT) Cochairs Eugene Boulé and Mat Ross; competition judges Alan Friedberg, Paul Karp, Angela Russell, Lori Semlies and Tim Sheehan; 20 attorneys doubling as trial lawyers; and various witnesses, jurors and observers drawn from the firm's attorneys, paralegals and professional staff.
Conducted live and in-person, the competition was designed to replicate an actual trial as closely as possible, with attorneys encountering curveballs and stumbling blocks. Mock trials provide a "safe" environment to master how to handle adversity and the unexpected – a learning process that never ends. As with all Wilson Elser NTT training programs, attorneys benefited from the knowledge and experience of the firm's top trial lawyers whose careers have collectively included scores of appearances in local, state and federal courtrooms.
The Competition
Five virtual trials were conducted concurrently on the first day of the Invitational, each with a pair of plaintiff and defense counsel facing off. Conforming to actual trial proceedings, they included opening remarks, examinations and cross-examinations of witnesses, closing arguments and jury verdicts. Soon after the trials' completion, Boulé, Ross and the program judges conferred and, along with the attorney observers, shared their feedback with the participants over the following days. Their assessments were genuine, and their criticisms constructive.
The Mock Trial Invitational is developed in-house and tailored to accommodate Wilson Elser's trial practitioners' distinct requirements and the firm's high standards. Wilson Elser is committed to training the next generation of trial lawyers by providing its younger attorneys with real experience in the trenches and in active teaching situations. The Invitational is but one of several ways the firm ensures its attorneys are well prepared when representing clients in the courtroom. Future Invitationals are already being planned.
We operate a free-to-view policy, asking only that you register in order to read all of our content. Please login or register to view the rest of this article.