This was it.
University of Dayton School of Law students Arabella Loera and Nathan Kraft had been anxiously awaiting the reading of the names of the eight teams still alive at the Region 7 Mock Trial Tournament. When they didn’t hear theirs among those close to the cutline, they figured they’d just missed out on making it.
“We looked at each other and shook hands and were like it was a good run,” Kraft says.
So you can imagine their surprise when they heard their name in second place.
“We had assumed we had already been cut, but really we had been doing so well they hadn’t read our name out yet,” Kraft says.
Loera and Kraft ended up finishing in the top two at Regionals and advancing to the American College of Trial Lawyers National Trial Competition Finals.
“That feeling was so exhilarating,” Loera says. “It was unexpected for us. We didn’t go into that competition thinking we were the best in the region. We just kept advancing through the rounds and doing well. I think we surprised ourselves a little bit to be honest. We had so much fun doing it.”
So the two went to Nationals in Dallas in April to compete against 29 other teams and were joined by fellow students Michael Johnson and Pam Spratt, who helped them prepare in the days leading up to the competition and then participated as witnesses. Loera and Kraft ended up with a good showing, but a pair of close losses kept them from the championship.
“We knew the rounds were going to be close where they’re coming down to a point or two,” Loera says.
The finals trip was a special one because UDSL’s Mock Trial advisors Professor Emeritus Dennis Turner and Adjunct Professor Dennis Lieberman ‘78 are retiring from their roles at the end of this year.
Professor Turner has been an advisor for the program since the law school reopened in the 1970’s. As a UDSL student, Professor Lieberman was a member of the famed 1978 Mock Trial team that was the very first one Dayton Law had compete at Regionals. That team of Lieberman, Michael O’Laughlin and Jim Todd won the regional competition and also made a trip to Nationals. Professor Lieberman later joined the team as an advisor.
“We would not be where we are today without Professor Dennis Turner and Professor Dennis Lieberman,” Loera says. “They poured so much into us to get us ready for these competitions. We’re proud to help them retire on such a high note after a Nationals’ trip.”
Kraft credits Professor Turner and Professor Lieberman for not only preparing them for the mock trials but also helping them see the larger purpose of it all.
“The coaching we got spoke to the spirit of doing a trial itself, thinking about why we’re doing what we’re doing and why it matters,” Kraft says. “A real trial has huge stakes. The people you represent are real people. The coaches would take everything we’re doing and contextualize it based off their own experience and tell us how it would go in real life.”
The Nationals also marked the end of a long career in Mock Trial for Loera who has been doing competitions for the last 10 years since starting at the high school level.
“It has been a constant in my life, so it is bittersweet wrapping up but ending on such a high,” Loera says. “So few people get to go to a National Championship of any sort but especially for Mock Trial. It’s sad because I won’t be doing these competitions anymore, but it’s also exciting to close that chapter out because it’s going to be such a fun road ahead.”
Kraft was on the opposite of the experience end. This year was his first participating in Mock Trial.
“I realized this is a really fun activity and I wish I’d been doing it for 10 years,” Kraft says. “Reaching Nationals was a lot of work but also an enjoyable experience.”
Both will take away more than just the final verdicts from their unexpected but well-earned journey to Nationals.
“Mock Trial can shape you in so many different ways,” Loera says. “It can make you so well rounded. You start to think about things differently. You see things differently. Not only do you walk away with some practical experience you don’t necessarily get from sitting in a law school class, but you also walk away with lifelong friendships in your teammates and coaches that run deep.”