The competition included 11 second-year law students and one first-year
Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele announced that Olivia Canterino of Widener University Delaware Law School and Conor Whitlark of Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law won the 25th Annual District Attorney’s Summer Intern Mock Trial Competition. Taking second place in the competition were Mason Cole and Seth Winigrad, both from Villanova University.
For the Mock Trial Competition, the office’s law school interns prosecuted a fictitious murder case that involved overcoming legal hurdles and factual challenges to create difficulty for the students. First-year law students and undergraduate interns acted as witnesses, while the jury for the final round on August 6th was made up of District Attorney Steele, Deputy District Attorneys and Assistant District Attorneys. First Assistant District Attorney Edward F. McCann Jr. sat as the judge for the final round.
The competition included 11 second-year law students and one first-year. The second-year law students were certified legal summer interns, approved and certified under Pa. B.A.R. 321 and 322 by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. That certification allowed them to practice law in Magisterial District Court and the Court of Common Pleas this summer under the guidance and supervision of the office’s Assistant District Attorneys. Throughout the summer, the law students handled Gagnon hearings, guilty pleas, summary appeals and other legal proceedings.
These twelve law school students were part of a summer intern class of 44 college students that included 11 second-year law students, 17 first-year law students, 13 undergraduates and three high school students. College and law schools represented were American University, University of Cincinnati, Drexel University, Loyola University Maryland, Montgomery County Community College, The Pennsylvania State University, Saint Joseph’s University, Syracuse University, Temple University, Trinity College, Villanova University, Washington University, Washington and Lee University, West Chester University and Widener University.
