DETROIT "" Second-year students Catherine Ferguson of Woodhaven and Katie Vivian of Bloomfield Hills won the Wayne State University Law School Mock Trial In-House final competition on Friday, March 3.

Ferguson and Vivian represented the defense and competed against second-year students Isabella Shaya of Birmingham and Krystal Murphy of Goodrich, the finalist team for the plaintiff.

The final trial was the culmination of a year of work from the participants. Before the fall semester, mock trial members participated in a 3-day workshop to learn the rules of evidence and trial techniques. Members participated in two additional days of workshops last semester in order to hone their trial skills.

The competition for winter semester began in January with 10 teams. Each team competed in two trials, one as the prosecution and one as the defense. The field was narrowed to four teams, which competed in the semi-final round. Finalists were determined by aggregate points over the course of the semester.

The criminal case for this semester's competition involved a charge of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.

Judges for the competition were Judge Daniel Opperman, Wayne Law class of 1981, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Michigan; and Judge Timothy Connors, Wayne Law class of 1980, 22nd Circuit Court in Washtenaw County.

Other Mock Trial members served as members of the jury and Wayne Law students served as witnesses.

Photo attached:

Participants in Wayne Law's Mock Trial In-House competition and the competition judges are, from left to right, Krystal Murphy, Isabella Shaya, Judge Timothy Connors of Washtenaw County Circuit Court, Judge Daniel Opperman of U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Katie Vivian and Catherine Ferguson. For more photos, visit law.wayne.edu/mocktrial17.