Barristers’ Union Finalists Argue Case Based on “My Cousin Vinny”

Yale Law School students Jamal Burns ’27 and Kaitlyn Laibe ’28 took home the top honors in the 2026 Barristers’ Union Prize Trial on April 14.

In this annual mock trial competition, held since 1934, students showcase their trial advocacy skills, including writing opening and closing statements, making objections, and examining witnesses.

This year’s finalists were Akhil Rajan ’28 and Brina Harden ’27 along with Burns and Laibe. Burns received the John Fletcher Caskey Prize for best presentation of a case on final trial, and Laibe received the John Currier Gallagher Prize for most proficiency in the presentation of a case.

This year’s case was State of Alabama v. Alex Albacore, an armed robbery and homicide case based loosely on the plot of the movie “My Cousin Vinny.” In the Prize Trial, Rajan and Burns represented the state, while Harden and Laibe represented the defendant.

The panel for the Prize Trial was a distinguished group of the nation’s leading trial attorneys and judges: U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams ’93; U.S. District Judge John Cronan ’01; U.S. District Judge Vernon Oliver; U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware Benjamin Wallace ’16; Camille Vasquez, partner at Sheppard Mullin and well-known for representing actor Johnny Depp; and Lynn Neuner ’92, global chair of litigation at Simpson Thacher. Many of the judges were Barristers’ finalists themselves during their time at Yale Law School.

The Barristers’ competition is a longstanding Yale Law School tradition. Past participants include Justice Sonia Sotomayor ’79 (she was a semifinalist and disclosed her participation on her Senate Judiciary Questionnaire when she was first nominated to the federal judiciary), former President Bill Clinton ’73, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ’73, scholar Charles Black ’43, former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan ’03, and (as a witness) Professor Guido Calabresi ’58.

The Barristers’ Union at Yale Law School is named in honor of Thomas Walter Swan, a former dean of the Law School and judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit. He is credited, along with Judge Learned Hand, with developing the modern judicial clerkship and was known as a staunch supporter of students and trial advocacy.

The four finalists from this year’s Prize Trial will plan next year’s competition. They will take over from the outgoing Barristers’ Union board: Montana Love ’27, Matthew Dahl ’27, Jacob Hervey ’27, and Sarah Rosen ’27, who were the 2025 finalists. 

“We’re incredibly excited to continue promoting trial advocacy at Yale,” said Brina Harden, “and we look forward to hosting trainings and providing new resources to help students learn in 2027.”