Team Wins Bioethics Mock Trial Competition
December 4, 2006
Georgia State University's College of Law won the 1st Annual NCCU Bioethics Mock Trial Competition Nov. 11 in Durham, North Carolina. The competition was hosted by North Carolina Central University's Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Law Institute as an annual civil mock jury trial competition for U.S. law students, focusing on issues in bioethics and pharmaceutical law. This year's trial problem focused on a breach of contract and negligence suit brought by a clinical drug trial participant against a pharmaceutical company. Judges included lawyers from the National Institute of Health, in-house counsel from major pharmaceutical companies, local judges, and trial attorneys.
Competitors this year came from law schools all over the United States. Georgia State's team bested Regents Law School and North Carolina Central's home team in the preliminary rounds, George Mason Law in the Semi-Final found, and faced the home team again in the final round to claim First Prize. Georgia State's team was the only team to win every competition round, and won jury verdicts in every round, whether representing plaintiff or defendant.
Georgia State's mock trial team included Katonga Harris (3L), Ernessa Brawley (2L), Sherrie Brady (2L), and Lyndie Freeman (3L). Freeman was also named Best Advocate for the competition. The team was coached by Georgia State's own 3L, Deah Warren. The team was sponsored by the Georgia State Student Health Law Association.
For more information about NCCU's Bioethics Mock Trial Competition, visit http://www.nccu.edu/law/biotech/trial.htm.