24 Nevada Lawyer July 2018

An explosion on the Virginia Street Bridge resulted in the death of Taylor Garcia, a successful hedge-fund manager making his way through Reno to the 2016 Burning Man Festival. Did Jordan Kendall have the means, motive and opportunity to murder Garcia? How does a flame-throwing fantastical earth trike fit into the mix?

High school students from across the nation, as well as Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and South Korea had the chance to argue the merits of the case at the 2018 National High School Mock Trial Championship, held this past May in Reno. Hosted by the State Bar of Nevada and the Nevada Bar Foundation, this event brought more than 660 students and coaches, and 515 parents, friends and family members to the Biggest Little City in the World. During the dynamic competition, participating students put forward their best arguments in front of an elite panel of attorneys and judges from northern Nevada and beyond.

“The support of our Nevada attorneys and judiciary to host and support an event like this was simply amazing,” said Paul Matteoni, chair of the National High School Mock Trial Steering Committee. In fact, Nevada provided one of the largest contingents of attorneys to volunteer for this event in national mock trial history. The championship location rotates each year and has previously been hosted in larger cities, such as Raleigh, NC and Indianapolis, IN. “We had more than 250 members of the bench and bar volunteer to serve,” said Matteoni. Another 125 community volunteers were on hand to serve as liaisons, courthouse ushers, “human arrows,” and registration and event officials.

The 2018 Championship in Reno was the culmination of a three-year planning process led by a Steering Committee that included attorneys Paul Matteoni, Connie Akridge, Cynthia Alexander, Don Christensen, Mark Knobel, Gene Leverty and Justice Nancy Saitta (ret.); retired Supreme Court Clerk Janette M. Bloom; and Diane Marsh of the National Judicial College. Together, they raised money to fund the event, planned logistics, selected venues for team events, worked with court administrators to set aside courtrooms and plan for security, and hosted the 1,000- plus students and visitors in Reno. They,

along with case writers David Grundy, Robert Eisenberg, Kenneth Lund, John Reese Petty and Don Christensen, will be honored at the 2018 State Bar of Nevada Annual Meeting, where they will receive the Volunteer of the Year Award.

Mock Trial Championship sponsors were recognized throughout the event and are listed on the 2018 event website at www.nvmocktrial.com/sponsors.

“Hosting this highly-regarded law related education event for high school students was a proud moment for Nevada,” said Steering Committee Vice Chair Connie Akridge. “The hospitality demonstrated by all involved was exceptional.” In the concise words of one team leader: “Nevada Rocks.”

In addition to the volunteer mock trial judges listed here, the State Bar of Nevada and the Nevada Bar Foundation extend their thanks to the following organizations (and their staff-members) who made the championship a success:

• U.S. District Court, District of Nevada• Second Judicial District Court• Reno Justice Court• Reno Municipal Court• Washoe County District

Attorney’s Office• Washoe County Sheriff’s Department• United States Marshals Service

THE SILVER STATE’S LEGAL COMMUNITY SHINES AS RENO HOSTS THENational Mock Trial

Championship

Reno attorney Don Christensen makes the final announcement of the competition.

July 2018 Nevada Lawyer 25

Barth AaronJohn AberasturiSeth AdamsAndriea AdenErnie AdlerJason AivazHon. Benes AldanaTodd AlexanderSara AlmoDane AndersonRobert AngresRonald ApplebyRaymond BadgerStephanie BaezMichael Balavage

Stephen BalkenbushHon. Aimee BanalesNorman BarnettScott BarnhartDominika BattenAmy BeardLyn BeggsZadora BolinCameron BordnerRoman BorisovRayna BrachmannSarah BradleyChristine Jones BradyLisa BruceWilliam BrunsonCraig BurkettJustin BustosHon. Peter CahillSteven CaloiaroArdea Canepa-RotoliHon. Daman CantrellDiane CarrSarah CarrascoJustina CavigliaJustin ChampagneDon ChristensenJ. Douglas ClarkRonda CliftonJustin ClouserHon. William CobbHon. Valerie CookeBrittany CooperTammy CordovaBeverly CornRyan CostantiniWade CowanAndrew Craner

Hon. Steven DavidDanielle DavisWill DavisChris DayHon. James DehnWhitney DerrahSharon DickinsonBruce DickinsonMead DixonHon. Leo DobrovolnyKerry DoyleDerek DreilingLinda DunnWalter G. DuskyCameron Dyer

Robert EisenbergBenjamin EngleKevin EppsSteve EvensonMark ExleyMicheline FairbankBrian FilterFrank FlahertyR. Kait FlocchiniCourtney ForsterAdriana FralickHon. Scott FreemanAaron FrickeCarla GarrettHon. John GerrardNancy Moss GhusnWilliam GinnAnthony GordonJeff GoreickJoe GormanLaura GranierRita GreggioEvie GrosenickDavid GrundyCollin GruverPatricia Hadfield Bruce HahnSharla HalesJames HalesSusan HallahanNikole HaltiwangerBenjamin HamptonAmber HandyDaniel HansenKevin HansonHon. James HardestyRichard Harris

Nathan HastingsDaniel HaywardPeggy HeadleyAdam HebbardSteven HeislerHon. Ruben HernandezCarla HigginbothamDiana HoffmanScott HoffmannHon. James HornPaul HubbellMark HughsKim ImperialRon IndranCaren Jenkins

Taylor JenkinsChelsee JensenJanice JensenRobert JensenBrad JohnstonCassandra JonesPete JonesMary KandarasBrian KangHon. Paula KapiloffPaul KaufmanMichelle KazmarMichael KealyAsher KillianKelly KossowJeremy KrenekBrian KunziPaul LamboleyJack LandisMichael LangtonChelsea LatinoTyson LeagueJames LeslieCourtney LevertyRick LewkowitzLouis LingDane LittlefieldRyan LoosveltColton LoretzMelody LuetkehansKen LundCraig MacyHon. John MaddenKatherine MaherKristen MartiniKristen Matteoni

Amanda SageJustice Nancy Saitta (Ret.)Jennifer SalisburyPeg SamplesHon. Elliott SattlerHon. Jack SchroederHerbert SchulzeBryan ScottNicole ScottEva SegerblomChandeni SendallHon. Pete SferrazzaCara SheehanJonathan Shipman

Robin ShofnerHon. Lynne SimonsCreig SkauBonnie SmithPeter J. SmithRandy SparlingHon. James SpooDawn SteadmanAmy SteelmanHon. Connie SteinheimerJustice Lidia StiglichLori StoryMax StovallHon. Ryan SullivanKenny TedfordNicole TingHoward TolkanJulie TowlerSandra UnsworthHon. Egan WalkerGerald WallinJill WhitbeckJohn WhiteMartin WienerHon. James WilsonAllen WiltEllen WinogradDaniel WongSpencer WrightMatthew WrightKatheryn YetterPaul YoheyMarilyn YorkHon. Nathan YoungHon. Gregg Zive

Thank you TO MEMBERS OF THE BENCH AND BAR FOR JUDGING THE 2018 NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL MOCK TRIAL CHAMPIONSHIP!

Paul MatteoniHon. Melissa MayWilliam McGinnisWill McLarenGeorge McNallyAndrea MedleyKrista MeierJeffrey MenicucciLucas MolleckSarah MolleckBrandee MooneyhanChristian MooreMatt MorrisMichael MorrisonGregory Morrison

Michael MortonRick MulaTodd MurrayHon. Dorothy Nash HolmesDoug NicholsonDaniel O’ConnorHon. Rizza O’ConnorKenneth O’BrienTimothy O’ConnorDeanna OgoVictoria OldenburgJustice Ron ParraguirreHon. Joanne ParrilliHon. Scott PearsonVeronica PetersonJohn Reese PettyJoe PlaterLori PlaterColleen PlattGeorge PowersLuke PrengamanHeather ProcterDouglas RandsDan ReaserEdward ReedCarolyn RennerMolly RezacAaron RichterDavid RigdonPamela RobertsJeff RodeferNeil RombardoHon. John RuckerJustin RuskHon. Larry Sage