TALLAHASSEE — The Florida State University College of Law Mock Trial Team has won first place in the National Criminal Trial Advocacy Competition sponsored by the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice and University of California Hastings College of the Law. The competition was held October 15-18 in San Francisco. This is Florida State’s second first-place victory in eight days in a national mock trial competition.

A total of 25 teams participated in the competition, including a team from host school University of California Hastings College of the Law, which Florida State beat in the final round. Florida State also beat a team from Northwestern University School of Law in the semi-finals. Other law schools competing included University of California – Berkeley, University of California – Davis, Fordham University and Pepperdine University.

Winning team members are third-year students Louis Baptiste, from Palm Beach, MaryCatherine Crock, from Daytona Beach, Samuel Gilot, from Miami, and Lexie Miller, from Gainesville. College of Law alumni Eric Abrahamsen (’07), a partner at the Law Offices of Friedman, Frank and Abrahamsen in Tallahassee, and Georgia Cappleman (’02), a deputy assistant state attorney in Tallahassee, coached the team to victory.

“Congratulations to our wonderful student advocates and to their coaches,” said Dean Donald J. Weidner. “To have another first-place win in a national competition one week after FSU won UF’s national tournament is truly remarkable.”

On October 11, Florida State’s Mock Trial Team won first place in the National Trial Advocacy Tournament sponsored by the University of Florida.