News

For the past fourteen years, the University of Florida chapter of Phi Alpha Delta (PAD) has made its mark on the nation, taking away top honors at the law fraternity’s national competition. At this year’s conference, the UF team walked away with both 1st place and 3rd place titles, as well as the award for Outstanding Attorney and a top 3 Outstanding Witness finalist.

The annual national pre-law conference and mock trial competition took place in Washington D.C. from Oct. 30 through Nov. 2. 

The commitment to the team is no small task, said Chloé Johnson, captain of the 1st place team. Practices can often take up to ten hours a week, between meetings and scrimmages, she said. Johnson is a fourth-year, double majoring in political science and criminology with a minor in philosophy. 

She said when her team was announced in first place she felt “amazing,” and was proud of all the hard work put in. 

“Our team is really close knit,” she said. “We are all hard working people that have a genuine interest in the law and I think because of that, we bring out the best in each other academically and professionally. The team is incredibly competitive, but that competitive energy bouncing off each other helps us be successful. We are together a lot, and we genuinely care about seeing each other succeed. It sounds kind of cheesy, but I really feel we have a family-like bond and I’m confident these people are going to be lifelong friends. My undergraduate experience wouldn’t have been the same without mock trial and not just because of the skills I’ve learned, but mostly because of the people I’ve gotten the chance to meet and grow close to.”

Johnson said PAD has helped her embrace working collaboratively and has taught her the importance of being a member of a team. The networking opportunities that PAD offers can help students find a job and make applying to law school a less stressful process, she said. 

Christian Rodriguez, a fourth-year political science and economics major, serves as the director of the team, and said that the job is full of responsibilities and rewards. The director is tasked with coordinating practices and finding guest judges to oversee scrimmages, oftentimes local attorneys and alumni. 

“The most important lesson I learned is that everyone is talented in their own unique way,” he said. “The goal of any leader should be to help someone shine their uniqueness and become unapologetically themself. As director, the most rewarding experience was to help someone become more confident to show who they are in a way that led to competitive success.”

Ahmad Alarachi, a third year political science and criminology major with a minor in Chinese. As captain of the third place team, Alarachi said outside of practice the team will hang out together getting BBQ or playing pickleball. 

“The team as a whole has a culture of tough love that I truly appreciate,” he said. “Mock trial isn’t an easy extracurricular. It takes a lot of time and dedication, along with constantly taking constructive criticism to make yourself a better speaker, competitor, and litigator. But in and outside of the courtroom environment, the team spends so much time hanging out and fooling around with each other, and we’re all really tight-knit.”

Mock trial helps maintain team cohesiveness in pursuit of a long-term goal, he said. Alarachi said the decision to join PAD happened by pure luck, but has been one of the most rewarding experiences of his collegiate career. 

“I first heard about UF PAD’s In-House Mock Trial program in fall of my freshman year—through the pre-law listserv, and I started coming to the lessons,” he said. “Mock trial then became oddly addicting and fun. I loved the in-house program and then the competitive team for how it made me feel more confident in my skin and more confident in myself as a speaker.”

Winning best attorney was absolutely surreal, said Sarah Hoffer, a third-year criminology major minoring in philosophy. She said being on the team helped prove a career in litigation is where she is meant to be. 

“When I transferred to UF, I had a really hard time finding my group,” she said. “I was so nervous at my first meeting with the competitive team, but afterward, we all talked and laughed in the parking lot. For the first time I truly felt like I was exactly where I was meant to be. We spend a lot of time hanging out outside of practices and during the off-season. I don’t know what I would do without them.”

The team additionally won chapter awards for outstanding advisor, outstanding professional programming, and outstanding recruitment programming for their mentor/mentee retreat. 

Brian Cahill, Ph.D., associate instructional professor of psychology and the team’s advisor, said the pride he feels watching the teams compete is truly one of the highlights of his job. 

“It makes me feel very proud watching cohort after cohort seamlessly continue this legacy of excellence. I would say that if you want to be a part of something special, develop lifelong connections, develop valuable skills to help you succeed as an attorney, and can handle the pressure of continuing this legacy then please come tryout for our team as we want folks like you.”

This year’s winners include:

1st Place Team

• Team Captain: Chloé Johnson
• Jose Borges
• Mia Gutierrez
• Brett Carnival

3rd Place Team

• Team Captain: Ahmad Alarachi
• Madeline Becker
• Ilan Kohan
• Sara Hoffer

Outstanding Attorney

• Sara Hoffer

Top 3 Outstanding Witness Finalist

• Madeline Becker