Law Students Meet in Rare Faceoff at Trial Competition Finals

Two teams of School of Law students outscored 14 other teams before reaching a rare faceoff against each other in the final round at the American Association for Justice’s (AAJ) regional Student Trial Advocacy Competition in Pittsburgh March 21-23.

The Duquesne teams met after defeating law schools from Penn State, Drexel, Rutgers, University of Oklahoma, University of Pittsburgh, University of Tulsa, West Virginia University and Widener University.

After nearly three hours of grueling competition and zealous advocacy at the championship on Sunday, the team of law students Andrew Rothey, Autumn Pividori, Kathleen Shoaff and Alex Poorman emerged as the regional champions. Law students Aubrey Smith, Asra Hashmi, Nicholas Jimenez and Kara Lattanzio were the runners up.

The winning team will advance to the AAJ national finals, which will be held from Thursday, April 10, through Sunday, April 13, in Santa Monica, Calif. There, they will compete against 13 other teams and will be judged on their skills in case preparation, opening statements, use of facts, examination of lay and expert witnesses, and closing arguments.

“We are truly proud of the knowledge, skill and talent displayed by our advocates in the courtroom during the competition,” said Law Dean Ken Gormley. “We are even more proud of the professional and ethical way they conducted themselves among their peers and in front of Pittsburgh’s legal community.

“Congratulations to both teams as well as to coaches Lisa Barnett and Brock McCandless, and to the program’s director, Professor Amelia Joiner, and Director Emeritus Professor Mike Streib.”