Law Day Marked by Honoring Mock Trial Champions

COURT HOUSE — A gathering of five Superior Court judges from the Atlantic-Cape May Vicinage took place in Courtroom B to honor the 2012 Cape May County Mock Trial champions from Middle Township High School on Fri., May 4. It was part of an observance of Law Day, hosted by the Cape May County Bar Association.
Leading the delegation was Assignment Judge Julio Mendez. He told the team they represented “a good school with a great reputation.” To the six seniors on the 13-members team, Mendez said, “Several of you will graduate quite soon and end your high school careers and go to college. Hopefully you will select careers in law.”
He related his own life story of graduating from Vineland High School in the 1970s without thinking what he wanted to do or be. He decided a career in law was his calling, he attended college, “worked hard…graduated law school, took the bar exam, practiced law for 20 years.” Then, he submitted his name for consideration as a judge. To date he has serve on the bench for 10 years, he said.
As assignment judge, Mendez has been in the county courthouse “five times in the last month.” He cited the importance he places on being accessible and familiar with the facilities. It was not just to visit that Mendez stopped into the courthouse. He joked that he had been asked by Judge John Porto to hear some cases on his calendar. That favor, he laughed, ended seven hours later dealing with youth and family cases.
The local vicinage handles “thousands of cases,” he added, said that the local vicinage had heard 70,000 “filings” in the past year. He credited his peers as being “hard-working judges” who routinely handled all those cases. Judges who attended the morning ceremony were: Raymond Batten, John Rauh, John Porto and J. Christopher Gibson.
Mendez told the students there are many careers in the legal system, with close to 500 employees in the Atlantic-Cape Vicinage alone.
Mendez and Court Administrator Howard H. Berchtold Jr. presented certificates to each member of the team. The jurists personally congratulated each member.
Team members included: Lisa Marriner, Samantha Burkholder, Shelby Smith, James Mallia, Edward Runyon, Ryan Burke, Abdiel Santiago, Alex Casper, Ryan Hildebrandt, Ashley Smutnik, Kaitlin Kenney, Gabrielle Giuliano, and Morgon Goranson.
Teacher coaches were Martina Trapani and Joseph Towns. Fred Mick was attorney coach.
County Clerk Rita Fulginiti and Sheriff Gary Schaffer attended the event and also congratulated the winners.
Law Day displays were set up in the west lobby of the courthouse. They included exhibits from the Cape May County Bar Association, Cape Assist, Atlantic Cape Community College, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), Cape May County Civil Division, Cape May County Clerk’s Office and Surrogate’s Office, county Department of Aging and Disability Services, Cape May County Judiciary Criminal Division, Community Outreach Program, Cape May County Judiciary Family Division, Cape May County Judiciary Human Resources, Cape May County Judiciary Jury Management Office, County Prosecutor’s Office and Sheriff’s Department Correctional Division.
Contact Campbell at (609) 886-8600 Ext 28 or at: al.c@cmcherald.com