On April 4-6, 2014, one of our associates, Kristen Kugel, traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico for the second annual Estrella Trial Advocacy Competition as a coach for the George Mason University School of Law trial advocacy team. The competition is hosted by the George Washington University Law School Mock Trial Board and sponsored by Estrella LLC, a full-service Puerto Rico litigation firm. The two preliminary rounds were held at the Clemente Nazario Courthouse in HATO Rey, Puerto Rico. Law schools from all over the United States attended the competition, including two local law schools, the InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico and the University of Puerto Rico. The students, coaches, and judges from the preliminary rounds were able to meet and mingle with each other at a reception held by the competition at the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce in Old San Juan on Saturday night. The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) mock trial team ultimately won the competition, but all of the students had a great time traveling out of the Washington D.C. area and gained invaluable trial experience that will help them while they pursue careers in litigation.
