This weekend, two Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law teams won the regional championship of the National Trial Competition, hosted by the Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA NTC). TYLA NTC is the biggest law school mock trial tournament—more than two hundred teams competed across 15 regional tournaments. Two teams per region earned bids to the national tournament in April 2021.

In the first of two championship rounds, Kline Law’s first team, composed of Ryan Nasino, ’21, and Nicole Furlani, ’21, defeated Duquesne University College of Law. In the other final, Kline Law’s second team, composed of Frannie McDermott, ’21, and Grace Grimes, ’22, defeated American University Washington College of Law to earn the second bid.  Grimes was named Best Advocate in the Kline-American final round.

This is the first time in Kline Law history that Kline Law has won two bids to the national championship tournament, a historical distinction held by only a select few law schools.

In the preliminary and semifinal rounds, Kline Law defeated teams from Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, Duquesne University College of Law, Penn State Law, Widener University Commonwealth Law School, University of Pittsburgh School of Law, and Seton Hall University School of Law. Each Kline Law team was undefeated in the preliminary and playoff rounds. Kline Law is the only program in the country with two undefeated teams in the regional TYLA NTC tournaments, each with five wins.

The teams were coached by Kline Trial Competition Director Phil Pasquarello, ’18, and Jess Falkenstein, ’18.

Nasino, Furlani, McDermott, and Grimes will compete in the national competition against the other regional winners, beginning on April 7.