Students on the Wisconsin School for the Deaf mock trial team advocated their way to a groundbreaking achievement on February 7, 2004 in Janesville, when they won the regional competition of the Wisconsin State Bar mock trial competition. Founded and coached by UW Law School professor Michele LaVigne, the team is now preparing for the state tournament in Madison on March 14.

This was the first time a team of deaf students participated in the state competition, and only the second time in the nation.

"I'm quite certain nobody (except ourselves) expected us to win," LaVigne says. "And even we were surprised at how good we were. After Round Two we started to think, ?Holy cow! We could win this!? Then we hit a tough third round and figured maybe we?d come in third. Instead, we posted W's for all four rounds. When the winner was announced, the place was up for grabs. It really was the stuff of movies."

LaVigne has been named the recipient of the Gordon Sinykin Award for Excellence in Law-Related Education from the Wisconsin Bar Foundation for her work with the WSD mock trial project. The award will be presented officially on May 5.

This is the sixth year that LaVigne has been working with the WSD mock trial team. The first five years were "in-house," with Appeals Court Judge Richard Brown always presiding. "He's deaf himself and a huge 'fireducks' supporter," LaVigne says.

(Although the official team name is the Firebirds, LaVigne explains, "I started calling them the Mighty Ducks after we won. Perhaps I should call them the fireducks ? oh the mascot we could come up with!")

LaVigne expressed her appreciation to the firm of Heller, Ehrmann, White & McAuliffe for a generous contribution that paid for interpreters for team practices, and to firm associate Chris Hanewicz (UW Law School ?99), who serves as Assistant Coach.

"Training for this competition was very different and challenged me as much as the kids ? maybe more," says LaVigne, who served as a State Public Defender for 10 years before joining the staff of the UW Law School's Frank J. Remington Center in 1988. She is Director of the Center's Defender Project and specializes in criminal, mental health, and juvenile law, as well as trial advocacy.

"Now it's on to the state tournament," she says. "You can just call us the Mighty Ducks!"

Submitted by on February 13, 2004

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