A team of Michigan Law students came out on top in the 17th Annual Capitol City Challenge (CCC) Mock Trial Competition, which was held at the American University Washington College of Law in late March.
The winning Capitol City Challenge team consisted of 3Ls Nat Jordan, Lauren Smith, and Brian Tang and 2L Joclyn Hutchison. In addition to the team’s first-place finish, Tang received the award for Best Opening Statement, and Smith received awards for Best Cross Examination and Best Closing Argument.
Before their most recent success, the team was also named Regional Champions in the 2024 Texas Young Lawyers Association National Trial Competition and Regional Champions and National Quarterfinalists in the 2023 American Association for Justice Student Trial Advocacy Competition.
Andrew Del Vecchio, ’24, served as the team’s coach for the CCC. As a student, Del Vecchio created the Michigan Trial Academy, which is run by the Trial Advocacy Society in order to provide student-led training in trial advocacy.
None of the students on this year’s team participated in mock trial prior to law school; all four learned about trial advocacy through their experience at Michigan Law.
“I’m grateful to our coaches and my teammates, who all care deeply about trial advocacy,” said Tang. “It’s something I knew I wanted to pursue when I came to law school, and investing time and energy in the mock trial team has really paid off.”
Putting classroom lessons into practice
The hypothetical case packet used for this year’s competition involved a murder charge brought against a man by the fictional State of Washingtonia.
The case centered upon a violent altercation between three men that resulted in one of their deaths and the perpetrator’s identification—one of the two remaining men—being in question.
This year was the first time Hutchison, Jordan, and Tang competed in the CCC, but Smith had participated in the competition last year. During last year’s case, she was on defense; this year, she played the role of a prosecutor.
“I’m grateful to have experienced what it’s like to argue on both sides,” said Smith. “For this case, in particular, I didn’t know much about expert evidence before going in. I took Evidence during the winter semester, so the competition helped me have a better handle on my coursework.”
Smith said she views her cross examination and closing argument awards as a win for everyone.
“I made my poor teammates listen to my cross so many times; I wouldn’t have felt as prepared if it weren’t for their insight.”
Preparing to prevailing
The competition brought together approximately 100 law students and coaches from 14 law schools, including some of the top trial advocacy schools in the country: Stetson University College of Law, Temple University Beasley School of Law, Mercer University School of Law, and Campbell University Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law.
“To some degree, we were underdogs throughout the tournament,” said Smith. “Despite rival teams having more coaches or stronger infrastructure, we kept winning.”
Tang added, “As we made it to each new round, our confidence grew and we became more encouraged to give it our all.”
The team began preparing for the event in early January. They scheduled meetings two or three times a week to research the case and practice arguments. Each student spent time with evidence professors during office hours in order to understand every detail of the case.
“These mock trial competitions are some of my more memorable weekends of law school,” said Smith. “The idea of getting a big case statement, working with a team to figure out what’s important, what arguments to make, and then seeing it come together is gratifying. Every skill I’ve learned is transferable, and it’s been a hugely valuable part of my legal education.”
After graduation, Smith and Tang will join Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in the firm’s New York-based complex litigation practice group. Jordan will serve as a public defender in Fall River, Massachusetts.
Banner image: Joclyn Hutchison, 3L; Nat Jordan, 2L; Brian Tang, 3L; and Lauren Smith, 3L.
