July 2025: The journey to your first courtroom win requires countless hours of work, though it's not just LSAT preparation, studying up in law school and office practice that gets you there. Three US associates explain how the Firm's Trial Academy program expedited and enriched their journey to courtroom litigators.
Honing the advocacy skills needed to be a successful litigator calls for hands-on experience. Experiential learning programs are the only way to simulate that environment and a pivotal learning opportunity for associates.
White & Case's Trial Academies are a series of multiday programs with immersive simulations, workshops and presentations for litigators from their second year upwards. The Trial Academies each focus on an aspect of litigation—depositions, motions or bench trials—and are hosted two to three times a year in our New York or Washington, DC offices.
35 associates fly in from across the country for each Trial Academy to collaborate, master case files, take and defend depositions, conduct cross examinations, argue motions and handle mock trials while partners serve as judges.
Houston partner Sean Gorman says, "What all successful litigators have in common is a passion for litigation and courtroom advocacy. Participating in our trial academies turbocharges your progress to your own courtroom. Real-time feedback from our experienced bench of the Firm's own litigation partners means that associates are getting first-class advice and practical knowledge from the very best. It's also a great way to build your connections within the firm and for partners to see potential future team members in action."
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Sean Gorman, Houston Using mock lessons to win real motions "The Trial Academy was my first experience of a mock trial. Six months later, I found myself conducting my first deposition. |
I leaned heavily on my experiences in the program when preparing, which helped instill a sense of confidence. The skills needed to succeed in the courtroom require time and repetition to develop, so having practiced in a controlled environment was a huge asset. It's not infrequent that depositions must be scheduled without a ton of lead time, and the fast pace of the program put me in the right mindset.
So when I took an unexpected trip to appear in a Texas court to argue a motion for summary judgment and a motion to dismiss on behalf of a private equity firm for the first time, both of which the judge ultimately granted, I called a partner that I had met during a Trial Academy for advice, illustrating how these programs help associates build long-lasting and wide-ranging support networks.
The guidance I received at the Trial Academies has also influenced my practice in subtle but crucial ways. Even small things that you wouldn't learn without having that experience, like how to avoid fiddling with your pen but still being able to take notes, actually do make a difference in how you carry yourself during depositions and in court."
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Hannah Rubashkin, New York Taking depositions and taking risks "I've found there's no substitute for trying out trial strategies yourself—they need to be put into practice, not just observed and studied. |
During the programs, when mistakes are made, the partners love that you tried. The goal is to provide associates the freedom to build our confidence so that we're positioned to succeed in the courtroom, not to compete for a trophy as in academic mock trials.
Finding your style as a litigator requires experimentation, and strong experiential learning programs like the Trial Academies encourage associates not to play it safe, but rather to leverage low stakes slip-ups into learning opportunities.
For an experiential learning program to be effective, it's all about establishing a sense of realism, and I was impressed with how detailed the Trial Academies' case files were and how faithfully the programs mirrored real life experience."
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Kyle Mason, Houston Conducting witness interviews and forming new connections "Beyond exposing associates to different strategies and advocacy styles, the Trial Academies serve as an avenue to introduce associates to new |
teams and subject matters that they may not typically work with, which can open doors early in their careers. For example, a memorable moment for me from the Trial Academies was delivering a cross examination as a third-year associate before the Co-Head of the Firm's Global Litigation Practice, who then immediately staffed me on one of his matters that was heading to trial.
The skills I strengthened during the Trial Academies have translated directly into my work, such as when I led a witness interview of a public company CEO during an investigation.
During that interview, I strategically followed up on several non-responsive answers until I obtained the information the CEO was withholding. I was able to do that because I leveraged my Trial Academy training that explored how to adapt and extract key details from an uncooperative witness rather than simply moving onto the next question."
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Gabriella Klein, New York An integral aspect of our Firm's litigation culture At White & Case, it's the enthusiasm of our own people—partners, associates and academy staff—that makes the Trial Academies such |
valuable and enriching experiences. We've seen firsthand how investing in these programs generates camaraderie, develops deposition and trial skills, and creates a strong foundation for success. They reflect our trial-ready culture, our commitment to developing the next generation of courtroom lawyers and our determination to win our clients' most difficult disputes.
