Tedi Beemer ’20
Majors: Government & Law and Russian & Eastern European double major and an Art minor.
Fun fact: My favorite font is Times New Roman, and if I were an animal I would be an earthworm.
What is your favorite thing about mock trial? My favorite thing about mock trial is developing interesting, nuanced characters, and adopting their personalities. I also like the cold cut sandwiches, and the people are okay too I guess.
Why did you join Mock Trial?
I did Teen Court in high school, which introduced me to the practice of law and the adrenaline that comes from talking really smartly in front of a lot of people. Mock Trial seemed like a natural continuation of my interests.
Do you have a favorite witness or case that you’ve performed?
My favorite witness was Charlie Floyd from the 2018 National’s case. I played an inmate with a Boston accent. Fun fact: one of my teeth fell out in the airport on our way to the tournament, but it sort of fit with my character, so we just rolled with it.
Trisha Agarwal ’20
Majors: Computer Science and Mathematics
Fun Fact: I have been dancing for 16 years.
What is your favorite thing about mock trial? The thrill of the trial is really what makes mock trial exciting for me. There is an exhilaration to being in an objection battle or running a cross with a squirmish witness that is unlike anything else I have ever done.
What’s the key to success in mock trial? Preparing for a trial but also being flexible is the key to doing well in mock trial. Things will never go exactly to plan but we have to make the best of the situation.
What makes Lafayette’s team unique? The team is a fabulous collection of slightly weird but very supportive and funny people. Hanging out with the team makes the sometimes stressful courtroom situations worth it!
Jess Ackendorf ’19
Major: B.S. Biochemistry
Fun Fact: I love drugs; I’d like to develop pharmaceutical products for my career.
Why did you join mock trial? I joined Mock Trial my first year of college with no previous experience because I was coerced- I mean persuaded- by our previous captain. On a walk back from the gym, I ran into him and recognized him from the information session. I expressed my hesitancy to join but he assured me I would love it. “Mock Trial is my baby,” he said. I thought he was weird, but to this day he is one of my closest friends.
What is your favorite part of Mock Trial? My favorite part about Mock Trial is feeling like a rock star. For three hours, you can pretend to be a lawyer and nobody thinks you’re strange (well, most people, at least). I love coming off an innovative objection that has opposing counsel totally caught off guard. I love seeing the judges nod in agreement during a speech and listening to the jury laugh at one of our witnesses. And you can do it all without having to take the bar.
Why is Lafayette’s Team Unique? I think Lafayette’s team is unique because everyone has such ranging interests; Mock Trial is never the only thing that people do. We have researchers, scientists, tour guides, musicians, athletes, actors, and Greek Life members. I think our range of perspectives allows us all to view the case differently and develop a variety of ideas.
Henry Schweber ’19
Majors: Philosophy and Spanish
Fun Fact: I thought Mock Trial was called Mark Trial for my first three months on the team.
What is your favorite thing about Mock Trial? My favorite thing about Mock Trial is definitely the collaborative aspect. I truly feel like myself when I’m surrounded by the team, and I appreciate the efforts that everyone undergoes to make themselves and in turn the team better as a cohesive unit.
Do you have a favorite witness or case you’ve performed? My favorite witness is actually a tie between two: Case Chovington and Austin Perez. Austin consistently rattled off Migos lyrics on stand, and when he’s not editing at TBD Magazine, he likes to spend time cycling the mountain ranges with his husband, Sean.
What’s the key to success in Mock Trial? The key to success is that there is no definitive “key” or method that will automatically make you great. Having natural public speaking ability and having a good grasp of legalese is certainly important, but having a strong work ethic and being able to effectively communicate your ideas with your peers is on the same plane in terms of importance.
Nick Contarino ’18
What are you doing now? I’m going to George Washington University Law School.
Do you feel that Mock Trial prepared you for the real world? Mock trial has helped me prepare for the real world through the important skills I’ve learned. For example, I’d say my analytical approach was sharpened by case theory discussions. I’d also say I learned to enjoy public speaking whereas the vast majority of people do not, so I’m (normally) able to make a good impression when I’m required to speak to large groups of people. For law school, mock trial gave me some early exposure to a lot of legal terminology and procedure so I feel more comfortable working with that material than I otherwise would.
What do you miss the most about Lafayette Mock Trial? What I miss most is scarfing down peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a handful of carrots during the thirty-minute window we had for lunch.
Actually jk, What I miss most about mock trial is the people. Spending all that time working with people on the case helped build some strong friendships. Although we had our ups and downs (normally tied to how soon or far away the next tournament was), from my brief time in the post-undergrad world I can comfortably say its much more rare to meet as many people who have the same time and work ethic to dedicate to a group activity as rigorous as mock trial. We had many impressive moments as a team that I look back fondly on, and none of them would have been possible if we all weren’t working together as a unit. Miss ya guys.
Tyler Schwartz ’18
Do you feel that Mock Trial prepared you for the real world? It definitely has helped with my public speaking abilities and being able to think on your feet. Also getting to learn some law through mock trial has helped me in law school because it’s easier to understand what we learn in law school when you actually have experience arguing in court (even if it’s fake). It allows you to visualize what’s going on more. Also learning evidence in college (which is considered a harder upper level subject in law school) definitely gives you a leg up in law school since it gives you exposure to reading and interpreting legal rules.
What do you miss the most about Lafayette Mock Trial? Two things: actually doing mock trial. It’s fun to actually “do” Law as opposed to just studying it. Haven’t gotten to do a lot of “doing” Law in law school yet, but it’s early on.
The people! I made some of my best friends in mock trial and I have a lot of good memories of us bonding and goofing around
Phoebe Silos ’18
What are you doing now? I’m a J.D. candidate at the University of Pennsylvania Law school. I really enjoy it so far.
How do you feel mock trial prepared you for the real world? I am able to think on my feet more easily now. Answering questions as a witness and responding to objections as an attorney has helped my ability to think quickly, especially when it comes to interview situations. Mock trial really helped prepare me for law school interviews in that I was able to answer questions from out of left field that I hadn’t prepared for. Side note, I also now get really upset when I watch legal TV shows and the lawyers ask super objectionable questions and everyone acts like that’s okay.
What do you miss most about mock trial? I miss making jokes about the mock trial case or certain witnesses with teammates, and no one outside mock trial understanding what we found so funny. I seriously miss the friendships I formed with people on the team. The people made spending hours writing directs, crosses, and speeches worth it. To future team members: never let little disagreements get the best of your relationships with other people on the team. I also really miss having a competitive outlet and a chance to work towards a goal that wasn’t schoolwork related.
Bri Messina ’17
What are you doing now? I am up to going to law school for reallllllllzzzzz. But Penn Law is amazing and I love it and 10/10 would recommend for anyone looking for a great law school environment.
Do you feel that Mock Trial prepared you for the real world? I do feel that Mock Trial gave me great skills that are applicable in the real world-It helped me with my extemporaneous speaking abilities and my debate skills! It also helped me with time management and aided me in improving my critical thinking skills that are necessary in law school!
What do you miss the most about Lafayette Mock Trial? I definitely miss competing, but most of all I miss the wonderful people that make up the organization. Some of my fondest memories from college were from mock trial practice/tournaments, and I would not trade those memories for anything!