Finding Her Voice in the Mock Courtroom

Patricia (Patti) Needham 3L was more than halfway through her undergraduate degree in kinesiology and exercise science when she realized she didn’t want to become a physical therapist after all.

After shadowing attorneys and finding that work much more appealing, she added minors in political science and legal studies and began prepping for the LSAT. She studied with one of her triplet sisters, Casey, and they both enrolled in University of Wisconsin Law School at the same time.

“UW was calling to us,” said Needham. “Our dad went here and played football, and so our family has been Badger fans since we were kids. It just felt natural to come here.”

She entered law school with an open mind, eager to explore different facets of the field. Then Needham’s peer mentor encouraged her to try out for mock trial, and she was hooked after her first experience in her trial advocacy course.

“It was a lot of fun, and I loved it,” she said. “And so, I knew I wanted to keep competing to gain those oral advocacy skills.”

Needham had always seen herself as softspoken. But through mock trial competitions, she found her voice and confidence.

“I was very unsure when I first started public speaking,” said Needham, who is now mock trial president. “And now I think I’m louder and more of a presence in the courtroom. I’ve seen myself grow as an advocate since my very first trial in the trial advocacy class.”

That helped during Needham’s two summer internships with the Lake County State Attorney’s Office north of Chicago, where she litigated cases and won a misdemeanor case.

“I’ve used those skills I developed from mock trial in the real world, and that has been an invaluable experience,” said Needham, who hopes to return to Illinois after graduation to work as a state prosecutor.

In the meantime, Needham has kept busy growing her skill set. She serves as an associate editor of the Wisconsin Law Review, and this spring, she joined the UW Vis Moot Team for an international arbitration competition in Vienna, Austria. She is a student of Lanny Glinberg, clinical associate professor, on the Prosecution Project at the Frank J. Remington Center.

But she’s most proud of her role as president of mock trial.

“It really is an honor to be able to help grow the program and help the newer members in their roles,” she said. “I’m proud that we are continuing to build on what others have built for us in the past.”

 

By Nicole Sweeney Etter