(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—The University of Akron School of Law earned top honors this weekend in Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s 2014 Public Service Mock Trial Competition.
The competition, which took place at the Franklin County Courthouse this weekend, was designed to provide a valuable learning opportunity for Ohio law school students and offer insight into public service legal careers.
“There are many ways public service lawyers help protect Ohio families. This competition was founded to help law students learn about how attorneys can provide positive public service in their legal careers, from prosecutors to representing state agencies to safeguarding taxpayer funds,” said Attorney General DeWine. “I applaud The University of Akron and all the teams that participated in our mock trial competition.”
Teams from the various Ohio law schools, made up of second and third-year students, participated in the competition.
The competition simulated litigation regarding a telemarketing fraud case where each law school team presented both the state’s case as well as the defense’s case. Teams participated in two trial rounds on Saturday with the top two teams advancing to a final round Sunday.
Each team was coached by litigators from The Ohio Attorney General’s Office and other public service offices from around the state.
The University of Akron earned top honors in the final round over The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. In the inaugural competition's final round last year, Case Western Reserve University School of Law bested the University of Cincinnati College of Law.
Members of Akron’s winning team included Adam Kumler, Eunice Asamoah, Rimma Avanesyan, and Ian Chaves. The students were coached by Sharon Tassie from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and Attorneys Kevin Kita of Sutter O’Connell law firm, Greg Thompson of Thompson Hine law firm, and Tony Wise of the Stark County Public Defender’s Office.
The final round was judged by U.S. District Court Judge Edmund Sargus, Belmont County Court of Common Pleas Judge Jennifer Sargus, and Tenth District Court of Appeals Judge William Klatt. Other competition round judges included Judge Joseph T. Clark of the Fairfield County Court of Common Pleas as well as experienced public service litigators and private practitioners from around the state.
–30–
Media Contacts
Dan Tierney: 614-466-3840
Lisa Hackley: 614-466-3840