Max Panoff, Stephanie Kaplan, Janine Schwerter, and Maria J. Morales

Congratulations to Janine Schwerter and Maria J. Morales, winners of the Spring 2009 Charles C. Papy, Jr. Moot Court Board’s Mock Trial Competition.  Schwerter and Morales will receive $2,500 in prize money, courtesy of Duane Morris, LLP.  Finalist team, Stephanie Kaplan and Max Panoff, will be awarded $1,500, and Maria J. Morales, named “Best Oral Advocate,” will receive $1,000 all courtesy of Duane Morris, LLP.

This year’s final round was held at the James Lawrence King Federal Building in downtown Miami, and was judged by some of South Florida’s most prominent legal figures.  The presiding judge was retired circuit court judge, Martin Kahn.  Also judging this year’s final round was Judge Rosa Rodriguez and Judge Jacqueline Hogan Scola, who are both currently in the Criminal Division of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida, and Mr. Rob Klein, a partner at Stephens, Lynn, Klein, LaCava & Puya P.A. and prominent civil defense attorney at both the trial and appellate levels.

The competition began with ten teams and consisted of four rounds in early February 2009.  Each team tried an entire case at least once as both the prosecution and defense.  This year’s problem concerned an animal abuse case, similar to the Michael Vick scenario.  The competition ran over the course of two weeks, and was judged by some of our most distinguished alumni, and practicing attorneys from in and around the Broward and Dade county areas.  After almost every round the judges praised all of the 2009 competitors for their pose and thorough knowledge of the law.  Many of the attorneys judging the mock trial competition commented that the student competitors displayed skills comparable to attorneys practicing for years.  All of the competitors from the 2009 mock trial competition should be congratulated on their hard work and effort.

posted 11-March-2009