Fall 2021
Big Wins Propel Trial Team to No. 1 Repeat
In the annual ranking of the top law school trial advocacy teams in the country, UCLA Law’s A. Barry Cappello Trial Team was No. 1 for the second year in a row. The success follows a record-breaking season in which UCLA Law won nine competitions and put in strong performances in many more — even as all events took place virtually. “The best part of this achievement is that it doesn’t represent the excellence of one student or even one team of students,” says Justin Bernstein, director of the A. Barry Cappello Program in Trial Advocacy and leader of the trial team. “It represents the excellence of literally dozens of UCLA Law students.” Overall, 41 students, making up 28 separate teams, collaborated with 20 coaches to accomplish the feat.
The Verdict: Inside UCLA Law’s
Innovative Jury-Trial Competition
UCLA Law recently launched the Verdict, a new kind of tournament in which students present their cases to lay jurors and the winning team is the one that best persuades a jury. UCLA Law students, alumni, and friends in trial practice collaborated on creating the cutting-edge event. “Many say that jury trials are the crucible for trial lawyers. This first-of-its-kind mock trial tournament simulates a ‘real’ result: the jury’s decision on the merits. No other competition creates that opportunity,” says the Hon. Jackson Lucky, a retired Riverside County Superior Court judge who presided over the championship trial and recruited state and federal judges for every trial in the competition.
Cappello Program Partners
With County Coroner
For years, students in UCLA Law’s Advanced Trial Advocacy course have participated in a series of simulated trials that help prepare them for post-graduate practice. Now, that valuable experience comes with an added bonus: the opportunity to examine expert witnesses who are portrayed by real-life pathologists with the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner. The innovative partnership is a win-win for all involved: It allows students to participate in an experiential course that is as realistic as possible, and it affords pathologists ample and detailed practice for testifying in court.
Sweep of National Championships
Caps Super Season
With trial team victories in the Tournament of Champions, the National Trial Competition, and the Student Trial Advocacy Competition, UCLA Law became the first law school to win the three most prestigious trial competitions in the same season. The successes highlighted an incredible year in which the trial team won nine major tournaments, the most of any school in the nation.
First-place finishes in 2020-21:
- Student Trial Advocacy Competition Finals, 2021
- National Trial Competition Finals, 2021
- San Fernando Valley Trial Competition, 2021
- National Ethics Trial Competition, 2021
- Student Trial Advocacy Competition California Regional, 2021
- National Trial Competition Southern California Regional, 2021
- Tournament of Champions, 2020
- Battle of the Experts, 2020
- Summit Cup, 2020
And more tournament wins have kicked off the 2021-22 campaign:
- Battle of the Experts, 2021
- Summit Cup, 2021
Prepped for Practice:
Stellar Alumni Share Their Stories
Soon after she graduated from UCLA Law in 2019, Delaram Kamalpour moved seamlessly into her “dream job” as a public defender in Los Angeles. Since then, she has taken three trials through to a verdict. Shortly after one ended, her client learned that it had, in fact, been her first trial. But, she recalls, that fact surprised him: “He thought it was my hundredth.” Three graduates of UCLA Law’s rigorous Cappello trial advocacy program share their stories from the front lines of practice and how they left law school ready to represent their clients in court on day one.
Bernstein Branches Out
With Trial Ad Book, Podcast
Justin Bernstein, director of the A. Barry Cappello Program in Trial Advocacy, has expanded his efforts in teaching and exploring the ins and outs of trial advocacy with a new book and podcast. Championship Mock Trial: The Guide for Students and Coaches, which he co-wrote with Judge David Nelmark of the Iowa District Court, is due out next year and covers courtroom techniques, logistical issues including starting a team and hosting a competition, and much more. Meanwhile, Bernstein’s new podcast, Unscripted Direct, which he co-hosts with Spencer Pahlke of UC Berkeley, features discussions of current topics in trial advocacy and interviews with educators in the field.
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