Representing FIU Law at Georgetown were 3Ls Christopher C. Chillingworth, Alexander A. Pollock, Victoria Thacker, Trial Team President, and Evan Thomas, Trial Team Vice-President.
Ms. Thacker also won honorable mention as Best Defense Advocate.
The FIU Law Georgetown Trial Team (pictured left to right): Christopher C. Chillingworth, Evan Thomas, Victoria Thacker, and Alexander A. Pollock
For seven weeks, pretty much seven days a week, the Georgetown team prepared for trial, refining case theories and themes, reworking witness testimony, resolving legal hurdles, and creating impactful evidentiary presentations — scrimmaging against great local trial lawyers along the way.
The team took the end result — though disappointing – in stride.
“The effort our students continue to put in, combined with their natural talent and dedication to craft, continues to make them great, and has put our trial team on the map among the very best in the country,” said Professor H. Scott Fingerhut, Assistant Director of the Trial Advocacy Program and the team’s lead coach. “We had not competed at Georgetown for almost ten years, so this was a pleasant return to D.C., and a significant opportunity to showcase our very special FIU Law brand of passionate principled advocacy on a national stage.
“We look forward to vying for the title next year.”
FIU Law won Georgetown in 2012.
Sponsored by Georgetown’s Barristers’ Council, this year’s invitational featured 18 schools, including Harvard, Michigan, UF, Emory, American, George Washington, Villanova, Fordham, St. Johns, Brooklyn, William and Mary, and ultimate tournament champion, Texas.
The trial involved the federal indictment of a sitting city councilwoman for making a false statement on her summer dream-home mortgage loan application.
FIU’s second-place finish builds upon the trial team’s successful 2021-2022 competition season, having won the Florida Bar Trial Lawyers Section Chester Bedell Florida state championship as well as the American Association for Justice Student Trial Advocacy Competition national regional.
The team has already begun preparation to defend both titles next semester.
The Georgetown team was coached by Professor Fingerhut, along with FIU Law and Trial Team alumni Ashley M. Allison (’17), Justin J. Duran (’18), Trial Advocacy Adjunct Professor Ari S. Goldberg (’12), and, of course, Professor H.T. Smith, Founding Director of our Trial Advocacy Program.
To learn more about Trial Advocacy at FIU Law and all that our Trial Advocacy Program has to offer, call 305-348-8095 or visit law.fiu.edu/trialad.
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