The National Trial Team is traveling to several interesting and competitive tournaments in the fall of 2023. We are excited to represent Maryland Carey Law across the country this year and to put our skills to the test against other great teams. Here is a brief synopsis of our competition schedule for this fall.
Syracuse National Trial League: This is a unique competition that meets virtually on Zoom for six Tuesdays throughout the semester. The case packet changes for each round of competition. The case packets involve a mix of both civil and criminal cases. The top four teams after the regular season will advance to an in-person playoff tournament in January of 2024. Maryland won the NTL regular season in 2022 and finished as National Runner-Up this past January.
UC Berkeley National Flash Trial Competition: At this small and challenging competition, advocates receive a new case packet 45-60 minutes before each trial begins and are tasked with preparing for trial in a “flash” - hence the name. This competition tests advocates’ ability to improvise and think on their feet.
Denver Summit Cup: This competition takes place in Denver, Colorado, and is an invitation-only tournament for teams who won certain elite tournaments the previous year. This year’s case is a civil case based upon the 2020 disappearance of Suzanne Morphew. One witness is an assigned “woodshed” witness provided by the competition, meaning that our team will portray one witness on each side. The case packet is evidence-heavy and has many opportunities for objections and evidentiary arguments.
Hofstra Medical-Legal Competition: This is a unique competition that takes place in Long Island, New York. Historically, the case has been a medical malpractice, wrongful death, or negligence civil suit. For each side, advocates are provided with one lay witness and one expert witness who is a student at Hofstra Medical School. Maryland won Hofstra in 2022 and we are excited to return as defending champions.
Georgetown White Collar Competition: This competition is hosted in person at the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. This tournament features a criminal case focused on white collar crime. The case packet is usually fact-heavy and has many interesting opportunities for advocates to develop clever strategies. Past problems have addressed issues such as insurance fraud, honest services fraud, lying to federal investigators, and violations of the securities laws.
The Fordham Judge Paul Joseph Kelly Jr., Invitational Trial Competition: This competition hosted in Lower Manhattan involves a federal criminal problem, where two students prepare both sides of the case and all witnesses are provided by the competition. The case packet is lengthy and fact-rich and allows advocates to focus on trial strategy and objections.
Atlanta WIlliam Daniel Competition: This competition is hosted by the Georgia Young Lawyers Division at Georgia State in Atlanta, Georgia. This year’s case is based on an actual murder case. The case packet involves a complete indictment, autopsy report, police investigation and jury charge. This year, the National Trial Team is partnering with the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) Trial Team to compete at William Daniel, and the team and coaches will be from both NTT and BLSA.