(Philadelphia) – Attorney Steven B. Patton of McMonagle Perri McHugh Mischak Davis coached students from Roman Catholic High School to a first place victory at the Pennsylvania Bar Association Statewide Mock Trial Competition on March 24th and 25th. As state champions, the team will now represent Pennsylvania in the national competition in May in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Patton, a Roman alumnus, has coached the team – one of the largest in the state — for the past 13 years. As attorney advisor, he worked with teacher coach John Pesabene to guide students in creation of cohesive opening statements, focused direct examinations, cross examinations and closing arguments.
Mock trial is a competitive activity where students assume the roles of attorneys and argue a case. It teaches students the art of debating, strengthens their critical thinking skills, and provides public speaking experience. The Pennsylvania competition is sponsored by the PBA Young Lawyers Division.
Judge Thomas Vanaskie (Ret.) from the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals presided over the championship trial. There were 245 high school teams that competed statewide, and the top 12 participated in the state finals. This year’s case was a civil trial to determine whether an obstacle course owner was reckless in causing the death of a participant in an extreme obstacle course race. Hundreds of attorneys and judges sat on panels of juries in district and regional rounds across Pennsylvania to determine which teams advanced to the state championship rounds.
The Roman Catholic High School mock trial team members included Jeremiah Brown, Joshua Brown, Aidan Conroy, Benjamin Foronda, Michael Gedraitis, Troy Hammond, Brennan Hewitt, and Patrick Holahan. This is not the first championship for the team. They took first place at the 9th annual Benjamin Franklin Invitational Mock Trial tournament at the University of Pennsylvania in 2022 and again in 2023. The team has won the Philadelphia regional competition in nine of the past ten years.
Patton is committed to mentoring students and future leaders in law in the region. In addition to his work at Roman Catholic High School, he is an adjunct professor at Villanova University School of Law where he instructs law students in trial advocacy and evidence as the Director of the National Trial Team. The team recently finished as semifinalists in the Texas Young Lawyers Association National Trial Competition.
Formed in 1995, McMonagle Perri McHugh Mischak Davis is a nationally known criminal defense, personal injury and family law firm based in Philadelphia. The firm consistently litigates high profile cases resulting in acquittals and/or million-dollar awards/settlements. Practice areas include criminal defense, medical malpractice, catastrophic personal injury, family law/divorce, auto/car accidents, defective products, workplace accidents and truck accidents. For more information, visit www.mpmpc.com or call (215) 981-0999.