Students in Federal Prosecutor Clinic Secure Conviction

Students in the Brooklyn Law School Prosecutor Clinic in the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) recently secured a conviction after a bench trial before Magistrate Judge Steven L. Tiscione. The defendant was charged with a simple assault that occurred on an airplane traveling from Ft. Lauderdale to La Guardia Airport last August after he rubbed and squeezed the victim’s thigh throughout the flight.

The students were deeply involved in the case, interviewing and prepping witnesses and gathering discovery material. Elyssa Abuhoff ’18 delivered the opening statement, conducted the direct examination of the flight attendant, as well as the cross examination of a character witness, the defendant's son. Jessica Wishart ’18, conducted the direct examination of the victim, the cross examination of a character witness, and delivered the summation. Mark Creedon ’18 conducted the direct examination of the Federal Air Marshal, cross-examined the defendant and a character witness, and delivered the rebuttal summation. The students were supervised by Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) William Campos throughout the trial, but were largely acting autonomously. Sentencing is set for August.

“It was incredibly rewarding and exciting to achieve my first victory in a federal case just one day after I finished my last law school final,” said Abuhoff, who will become a Litigation Associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in the fall. “In court, I had that moment of feeling that 'I'm meant to be doing this,' and I'm grateful for that extra boost of confidence that this opportunity provided me as I'm about to start my career.”

“It is a true milestone for these students to be able to say, ‘I won my first case—my first federal case—before I even graduated law school’,” said Stacy Caplow, Professor of Law and Associate Dean of Professional Legal Education. “This clinic, along with the Prosecutors Clinic in the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, allows students interested in prosecution careers to gain substantial hands-on experience.”

The Law School’s Clinical Education Program, comprising a broad array of in-house clinics and externships, is one of the most diverse, extensive, and comprehensive in the country. An integral component of the upper-class curriculum, every student participates in at least one “real world” clinic or externship before graduation—learning to exercise sound legal judgment, engage in problem-solving strategies, and take responsibility for decisions just as any licensed attorney would.