John Rafferty Presides as 48 Schools Compete at American Mock Trial National Competition

Gawthrop Greenwood litigator John Rafferty served as both a presiding and scoring judge at the National Championship Tournament (NCT) for the American Mock Trial Association. The top 48 college mock trial teams in the U.S. competed last weekend at Elizabethtown College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Rafferty oversaw four mock criminal trials. Attorney Lauren Nehra served as a scoring judge as well. Congratulations to Harvard and Chicago, the two national finalists that met in the Championship Trial! Harvard was ultimately named the 2022 National Champion.

Rafferty also spoke to students interested in legal careers at West Chester Area School District‘s Rustin High School Career Day earlier this month. During his presentation, Rafferty described his career as a litigator, and also ran a legal role-play involving a social media influencer and her breached contract. In the mock case, students were encouraged to develop a legal strategy and present their best arguments in front of their classmates.

Rafferty and Nehra are both members of Gawthrop Greenwood’s Litigation Department , which is led by ten attorneys, including both general practice litigators and subject-matter focused practitioners. Each individual litigation attorney has been recognized as a leader in his or her field, being named to lists including  The Best Lawyers in America^®, “Top Lawyers,” and Super Lawyers. Gawthrop’s litigators regularly practice in Pennsylvania’s state and federal courts and tribunals, as well as in Delaware and New Jersey. Gawthrop Greenwood’s litigation clients come from a broad cross section of sectors including public and privately held corporations, non-profit corporations, insurance companies, municipalities and government agencies, banks and financial service firms, individuals and small businesses, licensed professionals and their practice groups, construction companies and real estate developers.