Nadia Pahodzina

Brief Background

A series of life experiences shaped my interest in applying to law school such as immigrating to the United States from Belarus at the age of 7, experiencing domestic violence for many years as a child and teen, and participating in Mock Trial in high school. The closer I got to the application process, the more clarity I received that the field of law is where I want to be. I wanted a challenging career where I could utilize all of the strengths I embodied since a young age as the oldest of five such as problem solving, advocacy, organization, time management, public speaking, and more. My ambition was driven by the hard working and sacrificing mother behind me. After my dad abandoned us, she stepped into the role of a sole financial provider for the five of us. I was now a teen with trauma of domestic violence in a family with financial hardship and a single mother who we barely saw now. Because I had four young siblings, I could not use these odds to be stuck in a victim mentality. Instead, I worked hard to beat the odds and excel, hoping to inspire and encourage my siblings and that way repaying my mother for all of her sacrifices and investment in our success.

I have learned that great power and opportunities such as specialty courts that the government holds and I am passionate about using that in order to advocate for true justice where the defendant’s rights are protected and advocates challenge precedents in order to better our criminal justice system. I want to be that fresh perspective in prosecution. I want to bring the State and defense attorneys together instead of supporting the current divide. Just because the two have different roles, does not mean they have different morals or values. In fact, both sides need to share the same morals and values when it comes to criminal justice in order for true justice to be possible and for rehabilitation of defendants to be effective through specialty courts.

What has been your involvement with Mock Trial/Moot Court at Lewis & Clark Law School?

Fall of 2L, I took Intensive Negotiation and Moot Court with no prior negotiation education or experience. Also Fall of 2L, I took Moot Court: Mock Trial. Both required me to be vulnerable and challenged me but made a huge difference in shaping me into an advocate. Both courses were relevant and applicable to the real practice of law. These experiential courses have prepared me to step into the position of a Certified Law Student at the DA’s office in a few weeks. Both classes led to intra school competitions after which I was selected to represent the school in regional competitions. I had the opportunity to compete in the ABA National Negotiation Competition and the AAJ National Mock Trial Competition. This allowed me to gain even more practice. Having this experience gave me the confidence to do another competition: Brooks Institute National Appellate Advocacy Competition. Me and my partner sought out Professor Perini-Abbott to help prepare us for Nationals after we passed the qualifying round. Me and my partner ended as Semi-Finalists at Harvard Law School in that competition.

In what ways has Mock Trial/Moot Court prepared you for practicing law?

Moot Courts have helped me find my voice and style of advocacy. Mock Trial has prepared me to do trials which I will be doing in just a few weeks as a CLS. I have gained many hard and soft skills from both Moot Court courses that I will apply in my career as a trial lawyer. Such skills include active listening, team work, being quick on my feet, application of law to facts, critical thinking, analytical thinking, compromise building, professionalism, and more. Personally, I have learned to speak slowly, take time to breath and even think, as well as not feel pressured to be an aggressive advocate while staying true to myself and perfecting my strengths of being passionate and animated.

How has your participation in Moot Court/Mock Trial influenced your career trajectory?

Like mentioned previously, I am now more than prepared to begin my position as a CLS and even a trial attorney in general. Moot Courts and Competitions have given me the ability to be broken down in order to relearn old habits and be shaped into an authentic and professional advocate. It gave me a pathway to grow myself as an advocate as I now know my strengths, weaknesses, and types of obstacles that I may face both before and during trial.