UK Law Mock Trial Teams Have Strong Showing at State Competition

Congratulations to UK Law’s two Kentucky Mock Trial Championship teams who had strong showings at the recent state competition held in Covington, Kentucky. One team, comprised of second year students, advocates Alison Zeitlin and Josh Barnette, and witnesses Amy Robertson and James Wilson, was undefeated before losing in the championship round to an  experienced 3L team from Louisville. 

The second team consisting of advocates Jenna McNeal and Seth Fortenbery, and their witnesses, Larry Doucet II and Jacqueline Nelson, advanced to the semi-finals, where they lost on ballots to another experienced Louisville team.  Despite the loss, Seth Fortenbery was named the tournament’s Best Advocate.

The Kentucky Mock Trial Championship was established in 1999 by UK Law Professor Allison Connelly to encourage and strengthen students' advocacy skills through quality competition and valuable interaction with members of the bench and bar. UK Law Trial Teams have won ten championships in the last sixteen years. This year’s team was coached by Paco Villalobos and Professor Connelly.

“This team worked really hard to achieve success,” Professor Connelly observed, “but the real success story is what these students do with their talent and skill when they graduate:  they change lives; real lives, one case at a time.”