Adjunct Professors Henenberg and Boneta Coach Teams to Victory in Final Trial Competitions

Judge Karen Henenberg, a retired Arlington General District Court judge, and John Boneta, a criminal defense attorney, recently coached law students at George Washington University (GW) Law School and lawyers at the National Trial Advocacy College at the University of Virginia (UVA) School of Law to victory in their final trial competitions. Both Judge Henenberg and Mr. Boneta are Adjunct Professors at Antonin Scalia Law School, and teach an evening Trial Advocacy class.

At the GW Law Trial Advocacy competition, two attorneys or judges teach and coach a group of eight students, each of whom prepare and present a case for trial against other student groups. The students represent their clients before a jury. At the end of the trial, members of the jury render a verdict.

The group of eight students coached by Judge Henenberg and Mr. Boneta prevailed in all four trials they participated in. Ten groups took part in the event, but the group coached by Judge Henenberg and Mr. Boneta was the only group where all eight team members won their trials and obtained jury verdicts in their favor.

The National Trial Advocacy College competition at UVA has a similar format, but the competitors are practicing attorneys from all over the country, each with varied types and lengths of legal experience. All eight group members coached by Judge Henenberg and Mr. Boneta also prevailed against their competitors in jury trials, obtaining verdicts in their favor of their clients. Judge Henenberg and Mr. Boneta provide an excellent example of the outstanding adjuncts that enhance the experience of students attending Scalia Law.