Press Release
DISTRICT ATTORNEY KATZ HOSTS 11TH ANNUAL MOCK TRIAL COMPETITION
The Queens District Attorney’s Office hosted its 11th Annual Mock Trial Competition this weekend at Queens Criminal Court. The event attracted students from 18 nationally ranked law schools, who competed before senior prosecutors and members of the defense bar with New York Supreme and Criminal Court judges presiding on the bench. Stetson University College of Law took first place honors in this year’s competition.
District Attorney Katz said: “Our annual mock trial competition is a chance for law school students from across the country to demonstrate their skills and learn from seasoned prosecutors and defense attorneys. This year’s participants showed that they have the dedication and knowledge to go on to promising careers in the legal system. Thank you to the prosecutors and staff from my office as well as the defense bar and judiciary for their work in making this weekend a successful learning experience.”
This year, Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Fla., won the competition in a field of 18 teams. The champion team was made up of Savannah DeLo, Aliza Khandelwal, Brandon Linzer and Jacob Rykiel. The second-place winners were participants from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University.
2026 Participating Schools:
Brooklyn Law School
University of Buffalo School of Law
Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
Chicago-Kent College of Law
Fordham University School of Law
Georgetown University Law Center
Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University
University of Houston Law Center
University of Kansas School of Law
New York Law School
New York University Law School
Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University
Quinnipiac University School of Law
Rutgers Law School
Seton Hall University Law School
Stetson University College of Law
St. John’s University School of Law
William and Mary Law School
During the tournament, each team of second-year law students studied a fact pattern and prepared a mock trial for the competition which began on March 13. The competition consisted of two preliminary rounds, a blind quarterfinal, semi-finals and a final round. Current and retired judges from Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Westchester volunteered to preside, along with prosecutors and defense attorneys who acted as evaluators and bailiffs. Participants received feedback each round and a culminating score from evaluators.
Sponsored by the Queens District Attorney’s Office, the mock trial competition was supervised by Senior Assistant District Attorney Courtney Finnerty, Director of Litigation Training and Legal Hiring, with the assistance of Senior Assistant District Attorney Courtney Charles, Deputy Bureau Chief of Felony Trial Bureau III and Deputy Director of Litigation Training, and Senior Assistant District Attorney Brian Hughes, Chief of the Special Victims Bureau, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Supreme Court Trials Pishoy Yacoub.