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Air Force Academy cadets take 1st place at mock trial competition in Washington

Mock trial team attends the Bulldog Brawl Invitational

Cadets on the Mock Trial Team at the U.S. Air Force Academy pose for a photo at the Spokane County Superior Courthouse in Washington. The team took first place in the Bulldog Brawl Invitational, a two-day mock-trial tournament hosted by Gonzaga University, Oct. 20-21. (Courtesy photo)

By Ray Bowden, Oct. 26, 2018

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — Air Force took first place in the Bulldog Brawl Invitational, a two-day mock trial tournament hosted by Gonzaga University, Washington, Oct. 20-21.

The competition at the Spokane County Superior Courthouse featured six competing schools fielding 12 mock-trial teams. Cadet 1st Class Justin Maxwell and Cadets 2nd Class Myles Arenson and Abe Rice earned “Top Attorney” Awards.

The contest pitted the college teams against each other to argue a civil negligence case for the defense and plaintiff, with each team presenting their case to the mock trial judges during four trials at the competition.

“It’s impossible to receive the Top Attorney award without being [selected] by all eight judges throughout all four rounds,” Arenson said.

Maxwell is the cadet in charge of the Academy’s Mock Trial Team.

“I was excited to be recognized as a top attorney, but it pales in comparison to the pride I felt in the team when we were announced as the overall tournament champions,” he said.

Maj. Carman Leone is a law professor at the Academy and the officer in charge of the school’s Mock Trial Team.

“The cadets will become better officers as a result of participating in mock trails,” Leone said. “They learn how to work as a team, think critically, communicate clearly and lead one another.”

Competing teams were grouped into A, B and C teams based on their experience. The University of Portland’s “C team” took second place and Gonzaga University’s “B team” took third.

Court judges in the Spokane area presided over several of the mock trials, according to Gonzaga University.