The Harvard Law School mock trial team of Kaitlyn Beck ’19, Tiffany Li ’21, Rahul Garabadu ’19, and Jillian Tancil ’19 competed at the National Student Trial Advocacy Competition April 11-14 in Philadelphia, PA.
Fourteen teams representing their regions competed at the national competition. Harvard Law School earned their spot in the national arena when they won the Boston regional competition — finishing undefeated after five competitive rounds. The runner-up team at the regional competition was a second Harvard Law School team, represented by Michael Guggenheim ’20, Matthew Folks ’19, Gabrielle Frieser ’21, and Nicholas Pellow ’20. This was the first time that two Harvard mock trial teams have made it to the final round of a competition.
During the national competition, Harvard faced teams from the University of California, Los Angeles; Drexel University; and Loyola University. Campbell University took home the national title.
This is the second time in Harvard history that a team has advanced beyond the regional phase to rank nationally in the competition. Kaitlyn Beck and Rahul Garabadu both participated in the 2017 national competition as well.
Sponsored by the American Association for Justice, the National Student Trial Advocacy Competition is an annual nationwide mock trial competition. Participants on four-member 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 team’s success marks the fourth year in a row that the Harvard Law School Mock Trial Association has earned a national finish at a prestigious trial advocacy competition. With 30 active members participating in competitions this year, the organization has grown fourfold in just four years.