A team from Chicago-Kent College of Law has claimed victory in the National Medical-Legal Trial Competition. The event, hosted by the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University and Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, took place in Hempstead, New York, in November 2024.
The plaintiff team consisted of John Travlos ’26 and Ella Youash ’26, while Ivy Ramirez ’27 and Samantha Lehman ’26 represented the defense. This was the first competition for all four students. They performed strongly throughout, losing only two ballots and securing a win in the final round.
The case presented this year involved complex issues related to a rigorous boot camp, prescription medications, the illegal drug MDMA, and rhabdomyolysis. Chicago-Kent competed against 15 other schools through four preliminary rounds before advancing to the semifinals and finals.
Coaching support came from alumni Maeghann Hoal ’23 and Maddie Fontenot ’23 under the supervision of Teaching Professor David Erickson, who leads Chicago-Kent’s Trial Advocacy program.
A notable aspect of this competition was being judged by New York State Supreme Court Judge Juan M. Merchan. Judge Merchan has been in the spotlight recently for overseeing United States President Donald J. Trump's trial in his New York criminal case.
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