杏吧原创

03/04/2016
By Katharine Webster

The university鈥檚 mock trial team earned a 5-3 record at regionals for the first time ever last month, besting Bowdoin, Colby, MIT, Northeastern, Wellesley, among others, to earn a bid to a qualifying tournament for the national championship.

The team鈥檚 three 鈥渓awyers鈥� and co-captains 鈥� seniors MacKenzie Mahoney and Amanda Robinson and junior James Christopher 鈥� couldn鈥檛 be happier. They鈥檒l be in good company at the , this month with teams from Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis, Dartmouth and Harvard.

鈥淲e were 0-8 our first year, 2-6 our second year and 4-4 last year,鈥� Mahoney says. 鈥淲e knew leaving the regionals last year it was going to be the same three lawyers coming back, so we just said, 鈥業f we perfect our skills, memorize the case materials and get witnesses who know their parts, we should be able to do this.鈥欌��

The students largely credit their coach, pre-law adviser and attorney Frank Talty, who started the mock trial program eight years ago.聽

鈥淚 call Prof. Talty my biggest mentor throughout my time at UMass Lowell,鈥� Mahoney says. 鈥淗e took me and Amanda under his wing, he put us in his 4000-level class for mock trial our freshman year, which was a huge thing for us, and he鈥檚 guided us.鈥�

Mahoney, a political science major, peace and conflict studies minor and Honors College student, has aspired to be a lawyer since she was a child. She took a mock trial class her junior year of high school in Peabody and started a competitive team her senior year. She says that when Talty talked about the mock trial team on Accepted Students Day, it cemented her decision to attend UMass Lowell.

鈥淚 emailed the then-president of the mock trial team that day and said, 鈥楬i, I鈥檓 an incoming freshman, I鈥檓 going to be here. What can I do? How can I get on the team? What鈥檚 the case?鈥欌�� she laughs.

Mahoney dragged Robinson, her freshman year roommate, to the first team meeting. At the time, they were both pre-law.聽

Robinson, of Hingham, is now a business major with a concentration in finance and already has a job lined up with Fidelity Investments, which she鈥檒l join after graduation in May. She says her mock trial experience prepared her to be president of the (https://umasslowellclubs.collegiatelink.net/organization/student-government-association) Student Government Association as a junior and to serve as the campus鈥� student trustee to the UMass system Board of Trustees this year.聽

鈥淭he mock trial team is the best hands-on legal training you can get as an undergraduate.鈥� -Team Member James Christopher

鈥淚 really fell in love with mock trial,鈥� Robinson says. 鈥淚t teaches you public speaking skills, analytic skills and to be able to think on your feet, which are strong skills to have in most careers, including business.鈥�

Mahoney also recruited Christopher when she returned to Veterans Memorial High School in Peabody to judge a historical mock trial. Christopher, who is double-majoring in political science and philosophy and is this year鈥檚 SGA president, quickly became a valued third member of the team and a fellow officer in the Pre-Law Society.

Christopher says he pushed the team members to work harder this year on their trial, which involved a bribery case, and recruit more talent to build the team growing forward. This year鈥檚 win at regionals will only increase that momentum, he says.

鈥淲e had great lawyers and great witnesses, and on top of the 10 who competed at regionals we had five other students who helped us prepare,鈥� he says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a newfound commitment on the team now that we know we can compete with these top schools in the Northeast.鈥�

Christopher says the mock trial team confirmed his commitment to a law career.

鈥淭he mock trial team is the best hands-on legal training you can get as an undergraduate,鈥澛爃e says. 鈥淵ou get to deal directly with rules of evidence and pre-trial motions, establishing lines of questioning for witnesses and examining witnesses who may not want to cooperate with you.鈥�

Mahoney 鈥� who also leads the campus cheerleading team, serves as an honors ambassador and works as a substitute teacher for special needs children at the 鈥� is now choosing among several law schools that can help her become an advocate for children with special needs.

鈥淚鈥檝e really enjoyed working with these (special needs) kids and I felt like I made a difference in their lives, however small,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 want to be an advocate lawyer for families who may not know how to get the resources their kids need for school.鈥�