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The USC Mock Trial Team is taught and directed by one magnificent Head Coach, two wonderful Senior Assistant Coaches and five brilliant Assistant Coaches. The Team's Head Coach is also its co-founder. All of his Assistant Coaches are alumni of the program.

Head Coach - Olu K. Orange, Esq.


Attorney Olu K. Orange attended civil rights 'Mecca' Howard University in Washington D.C. for both his undergraduate and law degrees, a Bachelor of Arts in Legal Communication and a Juris Doctorate, respectively. At Howard, Orange amassed an impressive array of accolades including recognition as an American Mock Trial Association All-American Attorney, the Huver I. Brown Medal for Excellence in Trial Advocacy, the Earl Davis Award

for Excellence in Public Interest Advocacy and two consecutive Lewis F. Powell Medals for Excellence in Trial Advocacy from the American College of Trial Lawyers and the American Bar Association. The Powell Medals are awarded annually by the ACTL and the ABA to a small group of advocates who distinguish themselves as the nation's best.

In addition to his own competitive activities, Orange also served as an Adjunct Coach of Howard University's Mock Trial Team. His students became the first (and still the ONLY) team to capture two AMTA national titles during the same competitive season, winning BOTH the National and National Championship Tournaments, back-to-back. Further, they consistently ranked in the top-ten during his three year tenure.

Orange, Pre-Law Advisor Monique Sosa, and a dedicated student executive committee founded the University of Southern California Mock Trial Team in 2001. Since its inception, the USC Mock Trial Team has attended, and placed in, AMTA National Tournaments every competitive season.

As an educator, Orange is committed to spreading the availability of instructional trial advocacy nationwide. To that end, he serves as a member of the national Board of Directors of the American Mock Trial Association. In 2006, Orange served as Visiting Faculty for the Winter Trial Advocacy Workshop at Harvard Law School. At Harvard, Orange lectured and critiqued law students in the area of direct and cross examination of witnesses, with special emphasis on various impeachment and control techniques. He also served as a Trial Advisor and a Trial Judge. At USC, Orange is an Assistant Professor (adjunct) in the Department of Political Science.

As a practitioner, Orange handles criminal and civil litigation in his Southern California law practice and serves as a Felony Attorney with the Los Angeles County Indigent Criminal Defense Appointments Panel. Recently, Orange was elected to serve as a member of the Executive Board of the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, one of America's most progressive human rights legal organizations.

 
Senior Assistant Coach - Hooman Kazemi (J.D. 2007)
Third year Assistant Coach, Hooman Kazemi, joined the USC Mock Trial team as an International Relations major in 2002. As a team member, and Captain, he contributed to USC's ascent to national recognition. While at USC, he received the Freeman Foundation's Explore East Asia: China Scholarship. Currently a 3L at Loyola Law School, Hooman recently earned the 'First Honors' award in Trial Advocacy.

Senior Assistant Coach - Michael Kelly (J.D. 2007)
Fourth year Assistant Coach, Michael Kelly, has served the USC Mock Trial Team every year since its inception. As a co-founder of the Team, he majored in Political Science and researched the American jury selection process as a McNair Scholar. Michael was recently selected by Head Coach Orange as USC's second intstitutional member of the AMTA Board of Directors. Michael is currently a 3L 'Loyola Scholar' at Loyola Law School.

Assistant Coach - Prashanth Chennekesavan (J.D. 2010)
Prashanth Chennakesavan participated in mock trial during all four of his undergraduate years. As a competitor, Prashanth won several awards, including an All-American Attorney Award at the 2006 National Championship Tournament. He is the first person in USC history to earn the award with a perfect ranking. Passionate about teaching and working with students, Prashanth also teaches LSAT preparation courses.

Assistant Coach - Francis DiGiacco (J.D. 2009)
Francis DiGiacco participated in mock trial for three years of his undergraduate career. As a competitor, "Frankie" earned recognition as an All-American Witness and captained a team to USC's highest national ranking in the 2005 National Championship Tournament. Frankie now attends the Univeristy of San Diego School of Law as a Faculty Honor Scholar.

Assistant Coach - Justin Gaynor (J.D. 2010)
Justin Gaynor joined the USC Mock Trial Team in 2003 with no prior mock trial experience. His stellar work ethic earned him recognition as one of the Team's best attorneys during his second and third years. Justin's honors include multiple Outstanding Attorney awards, one of which carries a "Perfect Attorney" designation. He starts classes at Loyola Law School this fall of 2006.

Assistant Coach - Jeffrey Mendoza (J.D. 2010)
Jeffrey Mendoza served the USC Mock Trial Team as a Team Captain for multiple tournaments and successfully completed his collegiate trial advocacy career as a 2006 National Tournament competitor. Known as "Mendoza," he is a profound motivator and encourages a task-oriented approach to accomplishing objectives. Mendoza earned his undergraduate degree in Communication and is currently a United States Marine Corps JAG program candidate. He will begin law school in the fall of 2007.

Assistant Coach - Maryam Parsioon (J.D. 2009)
Maryam Parsioon was one of the founding members of the USC Mock Trial Team. She has both collegiate and high school mock trial experience. After USC, Maryam served as a Team Advisor to high school students for five summers with the National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC) on Law and Advocacy. Maryam later worked as an NSLC Program Director. She starts Southwestern's J.D.program in the Fall of 2006.
 
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