I had the privilege of serving as co-lead for CCCBA’s Trial Practice Series, an intensive, hands-on program designed to turn “student” attorneys into trial-ready advocates — and that’s exactly what happened.
Alongside the exceptional Jonathan Lee, we spent three days working with 12 dedicated participants, guiding them through every aspect of trial: voir dire, openings, directs, crosses, and closings. We taught, we gave feedback, and we watched them grow — not just in skill, but in confidence. By Saturday, when they stepped into their mock trials, they weren’t students anymore — they were trial lawyers.
It was an incredibly rewarding experience to help lead this program and push it forward. A huge thank you to Sarah Marin, who was instrumental in making this all happen — especially wrangling over 40 volunteers, including actual Superior Court judges who presided over the trials, and lawyers like Mikee Gildea, Robin Pearson, Emily L. Dahm, and Shahrad Milanfar, who generously shared their time and expertise to train and mentor the participants throughout the program.
Thanks also to Jody Eaton Iorns and the Contra Costa County Bar Association for continuing to invest in meaningful, skills-based programming like this.
Jonathan and I have already had several conversations about how to take the program to the next level. He’s an amazing teaching partner — relentlessly committed to making sure each participant has the best experience possible.
I’m proud of what we built and can’t wait to do it again.
