FIU Law and Trial Team alumni Dylan Gonzalez ’14 and Igor Hernandez ’13, recently placed second and third, respectively, during the 2015 Legal Eagle Closing Argument Competition.
The annual event searches for the “Best Closer in Miami-Dade County” and is open to attorneys 40 and under, who practice in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit and have been admitted to the Florida Bar for less than seven years.
The competition consists of several elimination rounds where advocates argue both plaintiff and defense positions, with materials being released just 48 hours beforehand and competitors learning which side they will argue on the morning of the competition.
Hernandez and Gonzalez competed courtesy of financial sponsorships provided by Miami trial attorneys Jack Denaro and Jack McLuskey.
“It was a great experience,” Gonzalez noted, “going in there and displaying some of that Passionate Principled Advocacy that the FIU Law Trial Advocacy Program is known for.”
Professor H.T. Smith, director of the Trial Advocacy Program and FIU Law’s Institute for Passionate Principled Advocacy, remarked, “Igor and Dylan are bright young stars in Miami’s legal firmament, and awesome representatives of FIU Law’s Trial Advocacy Program.”
Both Hernandez and Gonzalez actively participate in the Trial Advocacy Program and Trial Team events, returning to campus to give back to current students. Both are also proud assistant public defenders in Miami-Dade County.
From left to right: Igor Hernandez and Dylan Gonzalez