Travis J. West, a third-year student at the University of Wisconsin Law School, was honored for delivering the best summation/closing argument out of 120 performances at the third annual Buffalo-Niagara Invitational Mock Trial Tournament, hosted by the University at Buffalo on November 9-12, 2006.

West traveled to the competition with the UW Law School Mock Trial Team coach, Professor Susan Steingass, and with co-competitors Haben Goitom 2L, Rebecca Smith 3L, and Valerie Vidal 3L.  The team prepared both a prosecution and defense for a fictitious case involving conspiracy and murder charges brought against an undercover police officer. 

“Winning this award was a fantastic testament to all of the efforts put in by our team and the quality of instruction given by our coaches,” West said.  “I couldn't have done it without them.”

Forty law schools, representing 18 states, sent more than160 students to upstate New York to participate in this year’s competition.  The four-day competition, held in the courtrooms in the Buffalo City Courthouse, is the one of the largest of its kind in the country.  More than 200 area lawyers and judges acted as jurists and evaluators during the six rounds of competition. New York State Supreme Court Justice Kevin M. Dillon presided over the championship round, in which Northwestern defeated Florida Coastal by a 4-3 vote.

West will graduate in December 2006 and join Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C. in Madison. 

Submitted by on December 11, 2006

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