Held remotely over Zoom this year, the competition featured the state’s 12 best high school mock trial teams, with Kendra’s going undefeated in all four rounds, and one student being named the tournament’s Top Attorney, having scored highest among all advocates both for representing plaintiff and defense.
The students’ victory was featured in local news — as was their first Sunshine State championship in 2019 – and celebrated on the homepage of the Clay County Clerk of Court website. In addition, Ms. New and the team received a letter of praise from United States Congressman Dr. Ted S. Yoho of Florida’s 3rd District.
“My students put in hundreds of hours preparing for competition,” Kendra said. “They must show up, be prepared, give it their all, and practice, practice, practice. They use no notes during competition and must be able to object (including hearsay), impeach, and enter evidence flawlessly.”
“Best of all,” she continued, “each of my students cares about their teammates. They are so supportive of one another and always strive to build each other up to be the best they can be. One of the biggest compliments they received from the judges was that ‘we were a team that exemplified southern hospitality — kind, respectful, and professional.’”
Kendra added, “I am grateful for everything I was taught at FIU Law, for the opportunity to take Trial Advocacy, and for the values it instilled — all of which helped to prepare me, not only for my current practice, but for teaching and coaching the next generation of future attorneys.”
“Kendra was a magnificent advocate-in-the-making while in school, and she has blossomed into precisely the brilliant, hard-working, well-intentioned counsel, and masterfully effective courtroom lawyer, we anticipated,” said Professor H. Scott Fingerhut, Assistant Director of the Trial Advocacy Program and Ms. New’s Trial Advocacy professor. “Kendra is the embodiment of our program motto and FIU brand — passionate, principled, advocacy – and manifests well our ultimate goal to cultivate the next generation of great trial lawyers.”
Ms. New is a sole practitioner in Jacksonville, concentrating in estate and civil law. She also serves as corporate counsel for Star Intermodal Transportation.
To discover more about Trial Advocacy at FIU Law, visit law.fiu.edu/trialad or call 305-348-8095.