The trial team from Syracuse University College of Law placed second at the American Association for Justice (AAJ) National Student Trial Advocacy Competition held recently in New Orleans. Sixteen other teams competed in the nationals. In March, the team placed first at the regional held in Chicago to advance to the national competition. Another team from SU placed second at the regional.
Team members at the national competition were SU law students Brenton Dadey, Olatokunbo Olaniyan, Katherine Lawler and Joseph Nosse. The students were accompanied by coaches Travis Lewin, SU law professor; Joanne Van Dyke L'87, SU law adjunct professor; and Jean Marie Westlake L'01.
(Above, from left to right: Joanne Van Dyke, Brenton Dadey, Katherine Lawler,
Olatokunbo Olaniyan, Joseph Nosse and Jean Marie Westlake.)
SU law student Meaghen Hearn, originally a member of the team, suffered an injury and illness two days before the Chicago regional and could not compete. She was replaced by Dadey, and, according to Van Dyke, "deserves recognition for her unselfish work with the team from January through March."
In finishing as one of the top two trial advocacy teams in the nation, the SU law team received great respect and praise from tournament coordinators, local attorneys and judges, and fellow competitors and coaches.
"Syracuse University College of Law places great value in training and educating law students in trial advocacy," says Van Dyke. "We are enormously proud of the team's exceptional achievement in this competition."
The American Association for Justice (AAJ) Student Trial Advocacy Competition is the premier civil trial competition in the United States.
