After a brief hiatus, LM’s Mock Trial team packed their bags and headed to Harrisburg, the heart of Pennsylvania, for the 2023 state finals.
They would return with a trophy, top seven status, and high hopes for next year.
However, the team has had a longer journey than just a bus ride to get there. The defense team, composed of lawyers Noah Barkan ’24, Abby Braslow ’23, and Mihir Stiengard ’24 and witnesses Mia Hail ’23, Eliana Pasternak ’23, and Dylan Spivack ’24, crushed formidable foe Plymouth Whitemarsh, responsible for ruining the teams three-year winning streak at quarter-finals last year. The defense won all three jury ballots, their first sign of success with a 44-point differential, the highest out of all 22 teams over the three days of round one. One week later, the plaintiff team, consisting of lawyers Aniah Gagliano ’23, Aliyah Brownstein ’25, and Andrew Stearn ’25 and witnesses Sadie Liebo ‘23, Diego Soto-Ortiz ’23, and Sadie Woolery ’24, faced off against Mount St. Josephs, creating yet another stir in the Montgomery County Courthouse with the highest awarded total score in round two with 319 points.
Following their two wins, the team moved on to regional quarterfinals where the plaintiff team beat LaSalle College High School by a wide 63-point margin, becoming the only quarter-final round team to win all five jury ballots. But the team’s biggest feat was still to come. Semi-finals marked the toughest competition yet in which the defense team faced off against North Penn. The competition seemed tough from the very first table introductions and pre-trial matters. A shaky section of cross examinations eventually smoothed out into a strong conclusion to the trial. The team rejoiced over the Best Advocate award delivered to Braslow and Best Witness award to Spivack. However, the team went home dejected and frustrated, without hope for a future trial. To the shock and excitement of the team, the ballots delivered the following day showed the defense pulled through with a narrow four-point, one-ballot win, earning the team a place in the finals.
The plaintiff’s final round started off in hushed adrenaline as the team awaited what would determine their attendance at the PA state competition. A strong opening statement by Brownstein was followed by quick and effective direct and cross-examinations set up Gagliano to put the final nail in the coffin of their win with a showstopping closing statement that many jurors claim gave them chills. The team rejoiced as the verdict was read in favor of the Estate of Alejandro Desafios: Lower Merion High School.
The team arrived in Harrisburg with high spirits and headed into their first trial. With a fierce opening statement by Braslow and killer objections by Steingard, the team felt comfortable heading into closing statements. The Best Witness award was presented to Spivack and Barkan scored his second Best Advocate award. When the verdict was released that afternoon, the team became the seventh best in the state, winning all but one ballot. Although it was a tough break at the second round, the plaintiff stayed strong with Best Witness Award going to Soto-Ortiz and Best Advocate to Brownstein.
The team’s big win didn’t come easily, however. Big losses at University of Pennsylvania’s Ben Franklin Invitational Competition spelled a rough season this fall. Fortunately, the team was able to pull it together.. The team practiced hard, meeting almost everyday after school between January and March, practicing objections and reworking crosses. From their win at regionals to their top seven status at states, it’s clear the LM Mock Trial team has a bright future ahead of it.
