To Trial We Go

Well ... to the Aiken Schenk mock trial competition we go.  This Saturday my colleague, Cristina Perez, and I had the opportunity to judge a national mock trial competition for teams from several universities.  I think we can both say that the experience was both interesting and rewarding.

Although, it diverted us from our usual bankruptcy practice, I believe the process of judging this competition will make us better lawyers.  The case we presided over was a products liability case involving a fictitious toy and the death of a child. In bankruptcy, we have few opportunities to actually get inside a courtroom and litigate, and even when we do get the chance, it is a very different experience from litigating in state court.  Jury trials are rare in bankruptcy.  Most of the litigating is done at a podium before a bankruptcy judge.  So, Saturday was a refreshing change of pace for us and a great opportunity to reconnect with all those civil and evidentiary concepts we may have forgotten since law school.  Both Cristina and I felt our interest in other areas of law reignited, and we both made it a priority to go to more continuing legal education classes that focus on areas of law besides bankruptcy. 

I would also like to give a virtual round of applause to the wonderful students we saw and judged.  Our team was from Arizona State University and were very impressive. They were all knowledgeable, composed, and articulate.  I think we saw some great future lawyers in this group.

Now it's back to bankruptcy we go...

This blog is for informational purposes only and is not to be construed as legal advice. 
More information about Perez Law Group can be found on our website, www.perezlawgroup.com.