RICHARD A. BROWN, DISTRICT ATTORNEY

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1 QDA QUEENS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY 2 ND ANNUAL MOCK TRIAL COMPETITION The Queens County District Attorney s Office is sponsoring its 2 nd annual mock trial competition to be held on October 24 - October 25, The fact pattern will be a murder case and will be tried under New York law. This year we have increased the number of teams from eight to twelve. Law schools may submit applications for more than one team, each team consisting of four students enrolled in law school during the semester of the competition. At least one coach is required per team. The competition will begin on Saturday morning, October 24 th. Each team will try the case twice on Saturday, once as prosecution and once as defense. All rounds will be held in courtrooms in the Queens County Criminal Courts building, located at Queens Blvd., Kew Gardens, New York. The Saturday rounds will be presided over by Supreme Court and Criminal Court judges and management staff from the Queens County District Attorney s Office. Evaluators will consist of senior trial attorneys and management staff from the QDAO. OCTOBER 24 - OCTOBER 25, 2015 RICHARD A. BROWN, DISTRICT ATTORNEY The registration fee is $400 to partially subsidize the cost of courthouse security and the reception to be held Saturday evening. QDAO will prepare enlargements of court exhibits for use by teams during the competition. The entry fee must be submitted by August 15, District Attorney Richard A. Brown and Judge Joseph A. Zayas with members of the Fordham Mock Trial team, winners of the Spring 2015 QDA Mock Trial Competition A reception will be held on Saturday evening, October 24, at which the six teams advancing to the semi-finals will be announced. The semi-final round will be held at the courthouse on the morning of October 25. s will preside over those rounds and QDAO staff will serve as evaluators. The final round will be held on Sunday afternoon. It will be presided over by the Hon. Joseph A. Zayas, Administrative Judge of the Supreme Court, Criminal Term, Queens County. Awards will be announced following the final round. One of the preliminary rounds of the Spring 2015 QDA Mock Trial Competition The application deadline is June 15, Please submit the attached application online. Competitors will be announced no later than July 1, The fact pattern will be distributed by September 21, Address any related questions by to: James Quinn, SEADA: [email protected] District Attorney Richard A. Brown and Judge Joseph A. Zayas with members of the Hofstra Mock Trial team, runners up in the Spring 2015 QDA Mock Trial Competition Judge Joseph A. Zayas presiding over the final round of the Spring 2015 QDA Mock Trial Competition

2 -Below is a partial listing of the Judges participating in the Fall, 2015 Queens County District Attorney s Office Mock Trial Competition Honorable Joseph A. Zayas Court of Claims Presently serves as the Administrative Judge of the Supreme Court, Queens County, Criminal Term. He was appointed to this position in January, 2013, by Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman and Chief Administrative Judge Gail Prudenti. He was appointed as a Judge of the Court of Claims by Governor Andrew Cuomo in June, He was originally designated as Acting in May, 2010 and was previously appointed as a Judge of the Criminal Court of the City of New York by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in June, 2003 and re-appointed in January, Prior to his Judicial appointment, Joseph Zayas served as the Principal Law Clerk for Rolando T. Acosta (who now serves in the Appellate Division, First Department), at the Harlem Community Justice Center, a multi-jurisdictional, problem-solving court serving the communities of East and Central Harlem. Prior to working with Justice Acosta, Justice Zayas served as a Senior Staff Attorney with the Legal Aid Society s Capital Defense Unit, Criminal Appeals Bureau and Criminal Trial Division. Honorable Michael B. Aloise Presently serves as a Trial Judge of the Queens County Supreme Court, Criminal Term. He began his judicial career in 1999 when he joined the New York City Civil Court. He was then elected to the Supreme Court in Michael Aloise is a former prosecutor, having served the Queens County District Attorney s Office from 1982 to 1999, where he served as Chief of the Kew Gardens Supreme Court Trial Bureau from 1991 to Honorable Fernando Camacho Acting Currently serves as an Acting, Suffolk County. He was appointed to the New York City Criminal Court bench in 1997 and also appointed to the New York State Court of Claims in Justice Camacho was the Administrative Judge for Criminal Matters, Eleventh Judicial District of Queens County from 2009 to He served as an Assistant District Attorney in the New York County District Attorney s Office from 1985 to He was also an attorney in private practice from 1995 to 1997.

3 Honorable Mark D. Cohen Court of Claims Presently serves as the presiding Judge of the Suffolk County Supreme Court. Appointed to the New York State Court of Claims in Mark Cohen is the former Chief Assistant District Attorney of the Suffolk County District Attorney s Office. Honorable Kenneth C. Holder Presently serves as a Homicide Trial Judge of the Queens County Supreme Court, Criminal Term. He was elected to the New York City Civil Court, Queens County, in Later that year, he was assigned to the Kings County Criminal Court and, in 2008, he was briefly assigned to the Kings County Supreme Court, Civil Term. He was elected a Justice of the Queens County Supreme Court in Kenneth Holder is a former prosecutor, having served the Queens County District Attorney s Office from 1985 to 2006, where he served as Chief of the Narcotic Trial Bureau from 1990 to Honorable Ronald B. Hollie Presently serves as a Trial Judge of the Queens County Supreme Court, Criminal Term. He was elected to this position in 2001 and re-elected in He was elected to the New York City Civil Court Queens County, in 1998 and to the Queens County Supreme Court in Ronald Hollie is a former prosecutor, having served the Queens County District Attorney s Office from 1981 to 1999, where he served as Bureau Chief of Family Court and Deputy Bureau Chief of the Intake Bureau and of the Criminal Court Bureaus, as well as other Supreme Court Trial Bureaus, including the Career Criminal Bureau. He also worked as a New York Court Attorney, and Administrative Law Judge before becoming a Judge.

4 Honorable Gregory L. Lasak Presently serves as the Deputy Acting Justice of the Supreme Court Queens County Court. Presides as a Homicide Trial Judge of the Queens County Supreme Court, Criminal Term. He was elected to this position in Gregory Lasak is a former prosecutor, having served the Queens County District Attorney s Office from 1978 to He served as Chief of the Homicide Investigations Bureau from 1984 to 1988 and then as Executive Assistant District Attorney from 1991 to Honorable Gene Lopez Acting Currently serves as an Acting in the Queens County Supreme Court, Criminal Term. He was first appointed to the Criminal Court of the City of New York in From 1996 to 2002, Gene Lopez served as the Executive Director of the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board, which investigated civilian complaints against members of the New York City Police Department. Honorable Robert C. McGann Acting, (Retired) Presently retired. He began his judicial career in 1986 when he was appointed to the New York City Criminal Court. He was re-appointed to this court in 1998 and Since 1994, he has also served as an Acting. He retired in Robert McGann is a former prosecutor, having served the Queens County District Attorney s Office from 1972 through He also served as a Special State Prosecutor in 1976 through He was appointed in 1981and served through 1986 as Inspector General for the NYC Department of Personnel. Throughout his career, from 1977 to 2001, he also taught as an adjunct associate professor at St. John's University.

5 Honorable Barry A. Schwartz Currently serves as a Trial Judge in the Supreme Court, Queens County, Criminal Term. He was elected in November He was a judge for the New York City Civil Court in Queens County from 2011 to Barry Schwartz is a former prosecutor, having served the Queens County District Attorney s Office from 1969 to 1981 and then again from 1991 to He was Chief of the Appeals Bureau from 1975 to 1981 and also served as Chief Assistant District Attorney from 1991 to He also was a member of the Law firm Schwartz & DiBlasi from 1981 to Honorable Stephanie M. Zaro Judge of the Criminal Court Currently serves as a Trial Judge in the Criminal Court Queens County, New York. She was appointed to the Criminal Court of the City of New York in February, 2008 and then re-appointed in January, Stephanie Zaro began her career by serving in the Inspector General's Office of the New York City Department of Finance and then served with the Queens County District Attorney's Office. She also practiced criminal and civil law at a private firm. For nearly 20 years, she was a criminal defense attorney. Honorable John F. Zoll Judge of the Criminal Court Currently serves as a Judge in the Criminal Court Queens County, New York. He was first appointed as an Interim Civil Court Judge in September, 2010 and re-appointed in January, He was appointed to the Criminal Court of the City of New York in December, 2011 and then re-appointed in December, Prior to his appointment, he served as a Principal Court Attorney and Supervising Court Attorney in Criminal Court, he was a solo practitioner, and a criminal defense attorney for Queens Law Associates and the Legal Aid Society.