Kaelyn Mostafa of Trumbull Advances to National Trial Competition

NORTH HAVEN, CT - Meaghan Kirby of Cheshire and Kaelyn Mostafa of Trumbull, both third-year students at the Quinnipiac University School of Law, recently were crowned co-champions of the New England Regional for the Texas Young Lawyers Association’s National Trial Competition and will compete in the national championship next month.

"It was an honor representing the Quinnipiac University School of Law and helping bring our team a win in the final northeast regional round,” said Kirby, who also received the Best Advocate award. “I am so proud of how each Mock Trial Society member performed at this competition, and I was thrilled to see our hard work pay off.”

Mostafa said, “TYLA is always fun because we get to compete against so many talented advocates. Thanks to some hard work and our amazing coaches, Meaghan and I are ending our mock trial career on a high note. We are very proud to be representing Quinnipiac and the entire northeast region at nationals this year.”

Jennifer Gerarda Brown, dean of the School of Law said, “The success that Meaghan Kirby and Kaelyn Mostafa secured at the Texas Young Lawyers Association’s National Trial Competition is a testament to the hundreds of hours they have devoted during their time at Quinnipiac to becoming ethical, effective advocates. We are incredibly pleased and proud to see their efforts pay off.”

Kirby and Mostafa beat a team from Harvard en route to an undefeated weekend and a place in the national championship round. Throughout the competition, they earned better than 90 percent of all possible points.

The National Trial Competition was established 46 years ago and is co-sponsored by the American College of Trial Lawyers. The event is administered by TYLA, and more than 140 law schools are represented each year. This year’s National Trial Competition started with nearly 300 teams, and only 30 teams have made it to the national championship round.

Quinnipiac University is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian institution located in Hamden, Connecticut, with close proximity to New York, New Haven, and Boston. Founded in 1977, the School of Law affiliated with Quinnipiac in 1992 and moved onto Quinnipiac’s Mount Carmel Campus in 1995. In 2014, the school again relocated to the university’s North Haven Campus. Quinnipiac School of Law now enrolls nearly 400 students pursuing a juris doctor degree or a joint JD/MBA degree. The law school offers concentrations in civil advocacy and dispute resolution, criminal and advocacy, family, health, intellectual property, international law and policy, tax and workplace law. The School of Law also boasts many externships and in-house clinical programs. Quinnipiac is fully approved by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. For more information, please visit law.qu.edu.