Lena Hallaj of St. Charles honored at the National Undergraduate Diversity Mock Trial

2012 May 8

Lewis University Mock Trial member Lena Hallaj of St. Charles, Ill. recently competed in the National Undergraduate Diversity Mock Trial tournament at John Marshall Law School in Chicago. The team members earned $81,000 in scholarships at the competition. Lewis University students have received more than $300,000 in scholarships during the last five years in the competition. Scholarships earned in the competition were to The John Marshall Law School, Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles and Suffolk University Law School in Boston.

For the second consecutive year, the Lewis team earned honors as the top school with the Platinum Award at the competition of 59 individuals from 22 teams. The award is for the institution with the most team points from the top three individuals of the school.

The competition is unlike other mock trial competitions, where students compete on teams for their respective schools. In this competition, the students from a variety of schools are randomly placed together on teams with students from other schools. Scholarships are awarded to the top four teams and top four individuals.

Sara Morgan placed in sixth place, earning individual honors as Outstanding Advocate and a $2,000 scholarship. Ron Jovi Ramirez earned 13th place, earning individual honors as Outstanding Advocate and a $2,000 scholarship. Andrea Thompson earned 19th place and earned a $2,000 scholarship.

In the team competition, Ramirez earned a total of $42,000 in scholarships-$15,000 scholarship to The John Marshall Law School, $15,000 to Southwestern law School and $12,000 scholarship to Suffolk University Law School-as a member of the first place team. As a member of the second place team, Cary Hansing won a total of $27,000 in scholarships-a $9,000 scholarship from each institution. Morgan won a $6,000 scholarship to The John Marshall Law School as a member of the third place team.

Lewis University Mock Trial team members that competed in the competition included: Brianna Diaz, Lena Hallaj, Cary Hansing, Sean Lenckus, Sara Morgan and Ron-Jovi Ramirez.

Coaches for the Lewis Mock Trial Team include Dr. Houlihan, head coach; and Lewis alumni William Rock of Block Klukas & Manzella law firm in Joliet as attorney coach, John Senese of the Peter Francis Geraci Law Offices in Chicago as lead team coach; and graduate student Brandi Sanders as witness coach.

Lewis University is a Catholic university offering distinctive undergraduate and graduate programs to nearly 6,500 traditional and adult students. Lewis offers multiple campus locations, online degree programs, and a variety of formats that provide accessibility and convenience to a growing student population. Sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis prepares intellectually engaged, ethically grounded, globally aware, and socially responsible graduates. The ninth largest private not-for-profit university in Illinois, Lewis has been nationally recognized by The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report. Visit http://www.lewisu.edu for further information.