The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law’s National Trial Team took the championship at the 2022 Hofstra Medical-Legal Competition on Oct. 23, defeating St. John’s University School of Law in the final of six rounds over three days. Members of the winning team are (l-r) Becca Wells ’24, Michelle Lim ’23 (co-captain), Thomas Kiley ’24, and Lindsay Hemminger ’23 (co-captain).
Additionally, Lim was named Best Advocate in the preliminary rounds and Thomas Kiley was named an Outstanding Advocate in the preliminary rounds.
Lim, who is also a notes and comments editor on the Maryland Law Review, is grateful for her teammates and the benefits she is gaining on the National Trial Team. “Winning Hofstra Med-Legal was definitely a team effort and I’m lucky to have the best teammates!” she said. “The National Trial Team is the best way to learn how to think on your feet, work through difficult fact patterns, and improve your oral advocacy skills. I’m glad to have had the chance to use those lessons this past weekend!”
The students, said Ben Garmoe ’16, Salsbury Director of Trial Advocacy, “did an amazing job preparing for this unique and challenging tournament.”
The Medical-Legal Competition is a partnership between Hofstra Law School and Hofstra Medical School. Each team is paired with a current medical student who portrays their expert witness at the competition. The team worked with their medical student to prepare complicated expert examinations. “The competition required students to consistently adapt because of this format,” said Garmoe, adding that the team received an entirely new witness to prepare on Saturday night before the semifinal round.
Trial Team alum Hannah Coffin ’20 coached the team and traveled with them to New York, and Fiona Puglese ’20, also a former National Trial Team member, assisted the team in preparing for competition.