Partner Todd Wachtel Serves as Volunteer Judge for Apruzzese High Mock Trial Competition

On January 12, 2021, Todd D. Wachtel, Esq., a Partner in our Raritan office, served as a volunteer Judge for the 39^th Annual Vincent J. Apruzzese High School Mock Trial Competition, through the Somerset County Bar Foundation.

Todd has volunteered his time to numerous community events, Mock Trials, and Moot Courts over the years. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, however, made this Mock Trial Competition unique in that it was conducted entirely over Zoom.

Local high school students appeared as attorneys, produced witnesses, and engaged mock proceedings for a civil case. As Judge, Todd heard their testimony and made rulings upon the various arguments and objections made by the student-lawyers.

While things were a little different this year, the competition was a tremendous success, and not too dissimilar from the remote proceedings our own attorneys have been using to move our clients’ cases through New Jersey courts during the pandemic.

As Todd notes:

“We have been saying in the office that the attorneys that are going to do well in our current environment are those that can pivot quickly to an online environment, and the students did fantastic. I have tried a few cases on Zoom already, and it is really a unique experience. I was really impressed how prepared the students were, and how natural they seemed having a Trial online.”

Todd D. Wachtel, Esq. is a Partner at Levinson Axelrod, P.A. and a Certified Workers’ Compensation Attorney as designated by the New Jersey Supreme Court. In addition to helping our clients recover benefits following work-related injuries, he is also actively involved in giving back to the local community. Todd most recent volunteered to serve as Chairperson of Congregation Beth Chaim’s Reopening Task Force.