Florida State law students win mock trial competition

The Florida State University College of Law Mock Trial Team has won first-place in the 2010 E. Earle Zehmer Mock Trial Competition. The event, which was hosted by the Florida Justice Association Young Lawyers Section, was held in Tampa Nov. 20-21. The team was presented with a $1,000 scholarship for winning the competition.

Winning team members were third-year students Ryan Hoyle of Tallahassee and Thomas Philpot of Pensacola and second-year students Matt Minnick of Tallahassee and Elliott Smith of Lake Mary. Clinical Professor Ruth Stone and Maria Santoro, managing partner in the Tallahassee office of George, Hartz & Lundeen, coached the team.

“We are all so proud of our Mock Trial Team for winning this important statewide competition,” said College of Law Dean Don Weidner. “Special thanks go to the student competitors and to their coaches.”

Other law schools competing in the event were Florida Coastal, Florida International University, Nova Southeastern University, St. Thomas University, Stetson University and the University of Miami.

This mock trial victory adds to a long list of recent competition successes for Florida State’s advocacy teams. In 2010, the Moot Court Team won first place in four national competitions: the Religious Freedom Moot Court Competition, the National Security Law Competition, and the Luke Charles Moore Civil Rights Invitational, all held in Washington, D.C., and the Gabrielli National Family Law Competition, held in Albany, N.Y.