Boyd Students Shine in ABA Regional Client Counseling Competition

Kudos to Boyd School of Law students Michael Stannard and Katherine Maher for placing first in the ABA Regional Client Counseling Competition held Feb. 5-6 at Boyd. The pair will advance to the national finals competition this April at Baylor Law School.

UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law students Michael Stannard and Katherine “KC” Maher recently took first place in the 2015-2016 American Bar Association (ABA) Regional Client Counseling Competition. The duo will advance to the national finals competition this April at Baylor Law School in Waco, Texas. 

Hosted by the Boyd School of Law and the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution Feb. 5-6, the competition is designed to address the fundamental skills necessary for all successful attorneys – the ability to interview, counsel and support a client through a legal issue. Each team consists of two JD candidates who conduct an interview with a person playing the role of the client. Teams are judged according to their performance in eliciting facts, advising about the relevant law, and providing options for proceeding and assisting the client in making an informed choice. 

In all, Boyd had three teams in the competition. Congratulations also to the team of Vincent Godinho and Brianna Lamanna who made it to the semi-final round, as well as to Kristian Kaskla and Aarin Kevorkian who advanced to the final round and placed second. Third place was awarded to Colleen Mriglot and Megan
Malone from Seattle University School of Law. 

Special recognition goes to members of the Boyd and legal community for their support and coaching.
Among them are Saltman Center Director Jean Sternlight, Saltman Center Associate Director Lydia
Nussbaum, Saltman Graduate Fellow Jae Barrick ’13, Saltman administrator Sandra Rodriguez, Clark County Bar Association attorney Michael Hughes, and the Society of Advocates. Thanks also to Franny Forsman, Russell Marsh and Dr. Christina Saltman for serving as competition judges and providing feedback to the competitors,
the federal Public Defender’s office for hosting practices, and the countless attorneys, mediators, and students
who served as clients and judges during the competition. 

Congratulations to Boyd School of Law students Kristian Kaskla and Aarin Kevorkian (pictured left) for placing second and Seattle University School of Law students Colleen Mriglot and Megan Malone (pictured right) for placing third in the ABA Regional Client Counseling Competition held at Boyd Feb. 5-6.