Denville Law Firm Sponsors Middle School Mock Trial Team For The 4th Consecutive Year

(from left to right:  John Paragian (President, Denville Board of Education), Timothy J. Ford, Esq. (Einhorn, Barbarito, Frost & Botwinick, PC), Theodore E.B. Einhorn, Esq. (Einhorn, Barbarito, Frost & Botwinick, PC), Elyse Halpern (Valleyview Mock Trial Club student), Asritha Guduru (Valleyview Mock Trial Club student), Joy Xie (Valleyview Mock Trial Club student), Akhila Annadanam (Valleyview Mock Trial Club Student), Mark S. Hoffman (Teacher and Valley View Mock Trial Club faculty Advisor) )

Denville—On November 18, 2013, for the fourth consecutive year, Einhorn, Barbarito, Frost & Botwinick, PC announced their firm’s sponsorship and mentorship of the Valleyview Middle School’s Mock Trial Club.   At a meeting of the Township of Denville Board of Education, held at the Riverview Elementary School in front of a large audience, Mr. Theodore E.B. Einhorn, Esq., founding member of the law firm, presented a check to John Paragian, President of the Denville Board of Education and Mark S. Hoffman, Valleyview Mock Trial Club faculty advisor to fund the program for the children.

The Valleyview Mock Trial Club is open to 7th and 8th grade students and conducts its activities as part of New Jersey State Bar Foundation’s Law Adventure for 7th and 8th Grade Students.  The New Jersey State Bar Foundation provides the format and rules for the students to create original mock trial cases.  Each year, the foundation chooses two themes from which the students can develop the facts of the case, the characters of plaintiff, defendant, supporting witnesses and write their respective arguments. This year’s themes are Animal Law Issues and Students’ Rights.  Each school can then choose one or both of the themes around which to create their cases. This year, the students at Valleyview have chosen to create two cases under the Students’ Rights theme.  Four of the students, Elyse Halpern, Asritha Guduru, Joy Xie and Akhila Annadanam attended the presentation to discuss the cases and their involvement in the club.

Timothy J. Ford, Esq., an associate with Einhorn Barbarito in the Closely Held Business Practice, has agreed, once again, to volunteer his time as attorney mentor this year as the students prepare the cases for submission to the Bar Foundation for judging.  Should they be chosen, the students from Valleyview would travel to the New Jersey State Bar Foundation to present their “case” and receive verdicts from a jury of their student peers.  Even if the Valleyview students’ case is not selected, they are invited to hear cases from other schools throughout the state and perform the role of jury.

Mr. Ford stated:  “For the past three years, I have the opportunity to see the students start from scratch and develop into wonderful advocates by the time the program is completed for the year. They expand their critical thinking skills and obtain a better understanding of the legal system and how it works.

“This year,” Mr. Hoffman stated at the Board of Education meeting, “we are hopeful to have our cases chosen to present at the statewide competition in May.”

Timothy J. Ford can be contacted for comment at 973-627-7300 or via email at tford@einhornlawyers.com.

For more than half a century, Einhorn, Barbarito, Frost and Botwinick, PC has been providing legal services for businesses, families and individuals.   The firm takes pride in providing individualized attention to meet our clients’ every legal need for every aspect of their lives.  Every step of the way.  www.einhornlawyers.com