Law School hosts the Buffalo Niagara Mock Trial Competition

Last week on Veteran’s Day weekend, Buffalo hosted law students from 32 schools across the country as part of the ninth annual Buffalo Niagara Mock Trial Competition. The event was held at Buffalo City Court, 50 Delaware Ave. Participants came from Louisiana, California, Ohio and Pennsylvania, as well as SUNY Buffalo Law School.

This year’s fictional case was written by Buffalo Judge Timothy Franczyk and centered on the death of a chef who became a nationally known food critic and host of a popular show on the Cuisine Network. The tale involved conspiracies, animal beheadings and a pretty strong defense, making it an interesting case to present and one in which either side has an opportunity to sway the jury and win their arguments, according to Franczyk.

SUNY Buffalo’s team of Aaron Saykin ‘13, Shane Costa, Nick Romano and Sarah Siracusa, coached by Colleen Mattrey and Len Zaccagnino, advanced twice beyond the three preliminary rounds chalking up unanimous victories over St. Mary's of Texas, Syracuse, Southern Illinois and American University. They lost to a tough Campbell team in the fifth round. Saykin won the best advocate award out of 128 student competitors after the preliminary rounds.

Northwestern defeated St John's in the finals by a 3-2 win.