Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet Mock Trial team brings home the gold

BY THE HUB

Representing the Texas delegation, the Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet Mock Trial team defeated Alabama and claimed the championship at the National Judicial Competition (NJC). The five-person team, who affectionately call themselves the “Five Guys,” are rising juniors Andrea Novoa, Ari Arceo, Lindsey Jenkins, and Mikayla Spivey, and rising sophomore Hannah Estrada.

In addition, Law Magnet’s Naudia Terry won Best Plaintiff Attorney, and Titus Brown won Best Justice for the second year in a row.

The Law Magnet mock trial team, coached by program director and alumnus Don Gonzalez, has finished in the top three in each of the last three nationals.

Their championship run began in November when the team placed fifth at the district meet in Duncanville, qualifying for the state competition in Austin. The team then improved upon their district results by finishing third at the state meet and qualifying for nationals.

NJC is an annual competition for high school students in the model judicial components—Appellate and Mock Trial—of the YMCA Youth and Government Program. Each Youth and Government state program conducts its own state competition to determine who competes in the nationals