Notre Dame Law Barristers Mock Trial Team Wins Regional Title, Places 11th Nationally
Notre Dame Law School’s Barristers Mock Trial Team (the Law School’s Trial Advocacy Team) won the regional championship and advanced to nationals at the American Association for Justice (AAJ) Student Trial Advocacy Competition—marking a major milestone for the program. The team went on to place 11th nationally out of approximately 180 teams at the national competition in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The AAJ Student Trial Advocacy Competition, first held in 1980, is a premier national mock trial tournament for law students. The competition is designed to develop and showcase trial skills in civil litigation through simulated courtroom proceedings. Teams represent both plaintiffs and defendants in complex cases—often involving personal injury or product liability—before practicing attorneys and judges. With regional tournaments held across the country, the competition attracts hundreds of law schools each year and is widely regarded as one of the most rigorous trial advocacy training grounds in the United States.
Notre Dame Law School’s Barristers Mock Trial Team competed in this year’s tournament with a case centered on a civil liability trip-and-fall scenario involving more than 70 exhibits.
The regional competition took place from March 5 to 8 in Chicago, Illinois, alongside nationally recognized programs including Chicago-Kent College of Law, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, and Marquette University Law School.
Notre Dame opened the tournament with a win against DePaul University, followed by a second-round victory over Mitchell Hamline School of Law. The team then defeated Chicago-Kent in the quarterfinals, advanced past Marquette University in the semifinals, and ultimately secured the regional championship with a second win over Chicago-Kent in the final round.
The team consists of four members, split into plaintiff and defense roles. 2Ls Chyna Le and teammate Thatcher Maconga represented the plaintiff side, while 2L C.J. Pfanstiel and 3L Caroline Cannizzaro handled the defense. Team members who were not actively competing in a round served as witnesses for their teammates, with roles rotating based on both guaranteed assignments and performance-based rankings, requiring constant preparation across all roles.
A total of 20 teams advanced to the national round held from March 26 to 29 in New Orleans. The case remained the same, allowing teams several weeks to refine their arguments before the competition resumed at the national level.
At nationals, Notre Dame competed against some of the country’s most established trial advocacy programs, including UCLA School of Law, the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, Fordham University School of Law, and Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.
Notre Dame’s performance included wins against Fordham and a top-15 national finish, ranking 11th overall out of approximately 180 teams.
The team was coached by Katherine Singer '97 J.D., a former deputy prosecutor for St. Joseph County, Indiana and Notre Dame Law alumna, and Joel Williams, Elkhart County chief deputy prosecuting attorney. Both Singer and Williams serve as adjunct professors at the Law School.
The team also received support from the Salvi family, who made a generous gift earlier this academic year to expand and strengthen the Law School’s Barristers Mock Trial Team and establish a new fellowship for dedicated student advocates.
Notre Dame Law School’s Barristers Mock Trial Team previously advanced to the national round in 2015 (Pittsburgh) and 2017 (Cleveland). In 2015, the team reached the semifinal round, while in 2017, it did not advance past the final eight. The program’s most notable achievement came in 2013, when Notre Dame Law School won the AAJ national championship.
This year's result marks one of the strongest national performances in recent program history and a return to national prominence for Notre Dame Law School’s Barristers Mock Trial Team.
Read below for key takeaways from the team.
What was the highlight of your experience?
2L Chyna Le: “The highlight of my experience was seeing our hard work pay off in real-time. There's nothing like stepping into a courtroom and feeling the adrenaline rush that comes right when the judge walks in, and you stand, and realize everything you've practiced is about to be displayed. I'll never forget the feeling of constantly giving it our all every round and heading to the announcements where the advancing teams would be released, and hearing our team #132 called—all the way to the championship round when they finally announced #132 as the Champions!”
What was the biggest challenge you faced in the competitions, and how did you and your team overcome that challenge?
2L C.J. Pfanstiel: “One of our biggest challenges was learning to be adaptable. Our case file had 73 exhibits and loads of depositions, and every team approached the case in different ways. Being able to tailor our case to what the opposing team was saying, in real-time, was critical. And I think we succeeded. My favorite moment from the championship round was flipping the other side’s closing 'theme' on its head during my own closing statement.”
What is your advice for those seeking to join mock trial?
2L Thatcher Maconga: “My advice for anyone interested in joining mock trial is to take Intensive Trial Advocacy as early as possible. That course provides the foundational skills every advocate needs and played a key role in launching my own interest in trial work. Beyond that, the best thing you can do is simply go for it. Mock trial became far more manageable once I let go of the pressure to say everything perfectly and instead focused on being a confident, passionate, and effective advocate.”
3L Caroline Cannizzaro: “Mock trial is such a wonderful experience! After three years of undergraduate mock trial and a year of law school mock trial, I can definitely say it is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have during school! Sign up to tryout, be yourself, and be ready for an incredible experience!”