McLaughlin Trial Advocacy Workshop Looks Forward to Sixth Year in 2025

This fall, Seton Hall University School of Law will begin selecting a new class of future trial lawyers to take part in a special annual workshop in January. The Denis F. McLaughlin Advanced Trial Advocacy Workshop in January, 2025, will mark the sixth year of the program, cementing the legacy of the Seton Hall Law Professor Denis F. McLaughlin.

McLaughlin, who has taught at Seton Hall Law School for more than 30 years, specializes in Civil Procedure, Evidence and Litigation Advocacy. He is the Founding Director of the Denis F. McLaughlin Advanced Trial Advocacy Workshop endowed in 2019 by the Law Firm of O’Toole Scrivo, and Director of the Judicial Externship Program.

"First and foremost, Denis McLaughlin inspired and mentored us as law students, instilling confidence and making us feel at ease in the courtroom," said Thomas P. Scrivo, Managing Partner of O’Toole Scrivo. "His influence led to our firm's deep commitment to nurturing the next generation of litigators. As litigators, we know how critical practical skills and mentorship are in legal education, and we saw an opportunity to make a meaningful impact by creating this program."

The McLaughlin workshop, which is highly selective, held during the winter intersession, requires an application and is worth three credits, includes daily keynote addresses by some of the most accomplished trial lawyers and judges in the bench and bar, and provides a special opportunity for students aspiring to begin their careers as trial lawyers. The skills developed during the workshop position participants to be top candidates for litigation positions.

Assistant Provost for Faculty Affairs and Assistant Dean of Experiential Education, Professor Jamie Pukl-Werbel teaches the Trial Advocacy curriculum, alongside McLaughlin, Associate Director, Professor Jacob Elberg, and a select team of expert trial lawyers and judges. Of the workshop’s intended participants, Pukl-Werbel said, "this is for somebody who really wants to get in court, stand up, make an argument and advocate on behalf of a client. It is really one of our capstone litigation experiences for the students."

Benefiting both law students and undergraduate students inclined to law or related fields, the workshop provides days of litigation lectures and experiential learning, explained Pukl-Werbel. Students "get to go to a dinner where they hear a keynote speaker talk about practicing and litigating, doing all the things the speaker has done in their career."

Describing his experience with the program, Nicholas Owens, now a rising senior at Seton Hall University Law who also completed his undergraduate degree at Seton Hall, told Caryn Grabowski, experiential learning director in the Provost’s Office, "As someone who has been involved with some kind of mock trial in undergrad and now as a law student, I know better than most people just how a simulated trial experience can be invaluable. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

A student in the 2024 program, Steven Fasciale,’24, shared, "The Denis F. McLaughlin Advanced Trial Advocacy Workshop was a highlight of my time at Seton Hall Law School, and I am grateful to everyone who has made it possible. I learned invaluable lessons about trial practice by working closely with an array of experienced and highly respected professors and attorneys, as well as my peers."

Fasciale, who is embarking on a litigation career post-graduation, said the workshop helped him to refine and apply vital litigation skillsets, "including through a mock trial in federal court before a federal judge, who took the time to provide detailed and insightful feedback—and helped me to feel confident and capable."

The workshop, which Mr. Scrivo says aligns with his firm’s "values of promoting excellence in advocacy and contributing to advancing the legal profession," has students attend lectures and demonstrations on discrete trial skills presented in plenary style. Later, they experience breakout sessions where they collaborate with coaches, who are senior attorneys.

While the 2024 workshop featured students working in two-person teams trying a full jury trial before a sitting federal judge at the federal courthouse in Newark, the 2025 program will surely be as exciting. Past supporting judges include United States District Judges for the District of NJ, The Honorable Katharine Hayden ’75, The Honorable Madeline Cox Arleo ’89, The Honorable Michael Shipp ’94, and United States Magistrate Judge for the District of NJ, The Honorable Michael Hammer ’93.

"We have eight federal judges who volunteer their time to actually hear the trial," said law professor Jamie Pukl-Werbel. And while the inaugural 2020 workshop served sixteen students, in 2024 it was thirty-two. "It has increased every year […] the 32 students each get partners, so there were eight different trials with four students each," added Pukl-Werbel.

Diversity is front of mind for those reviewing applications, notably. Women of color who are first generation college students are especially encouraged to apply. But, says Pukl-Werbel, "We are very egalitarian in how we pick, making sure that we have a good balance of everyone in the course."

Said workshop participant Madison Diaz, ’24, who is beginning her legal career as a litigation associate at Lowenstein Sandler. "There are some things you just can't learn from reading a book. Professor McLaughlin's Trial Advocacy Workshop gave me the unique opportunity to hone the practical skills of trial work under the guidance of experienced litigators from all aspects of the legal world."

Kevin O’Toole, Managing Partner at O’Toole Scrivo, concluded, "By providing law students who aspire to be courtroom attorneys with hands-on training, mentorship and exposure to real-world trial scenarios, we hope to equip them with the skills and confidence needed to excel in their careers. The broader legal community will also benefit from these future advocates' increased competence and professionalism."

The application window for the 2025 program closed at the end of August, and the committee is currently reviewing applications.

For more information, contact Dean Jamie Pukl-Werbel at (973) 642-8201 or [email protected].

Categories: Law