Lindsey
Halligan,
the
former
insurance
attorney
who
spent
some
time
“masquerading”
—
to
use
a
federal
judge’s
words
—
as
the
U.S.
Attorney
for
the
Eastern
District
of
Virginia
attempted
to
ramrod
criminal
cases
against
Donald
Trump’s
political
enemies
and
failed
spectacularly.
Halligan
botched
the
grand
jury
process,
submitted
an
indictment
that
the
full
grand
jury
never
saw,
and
got
two
cases
dismissed
simultaneously.
After
a
judge
ruled
that
she
held
the
position
illegally,
she
continued
signing
off
on
filings.
When
all
was
said
and
done,
another
federal
judge
wrote
that
she
escaped
a
disciplinary
referral
“in
light
of
her
inexperience.”
It
still
might
not
be
enough
to
shield
her
from
sanctions.
Halligan
might
be
a
perfectly
passable
insurance
lawyer,
like
Alina
Habba
before
her,
Halligan
learned
the
hard
way
that
courtroom
advocacy
requires
more
than
the
Trump
administration’s
“Have
Law
Degree,
Will
Prosecute”
approach
to
filling
key
positions.
Law
school
alone
can’t
prepare
someone
for
court,
but
practical
education
from
experienced
mentors
can.
And
law
students
can
get
paid
while
learning.
Once
again,
elite
litigation
boutique
MoloLamken
will
host
its
Advocacy
Academy,
an
intensive
one-week
courtroom
training
program
for
12
rising
3Ls.
Applications
are
open
now,
and
if
you’re
a
current
2L
who
wants
to
learn
trial
and
appellate
advocacy
from
lawyers
who
have
collectively
tried
hundreds
of
cases
and
argued
hundreds
of
appeals,
check
out
this
program.
The
ML
Advocacy
Academy
runs
from
the
evening
of
Sunday,
August
3
through
Friday
afternoon,
August
8,
2026
—
dates
intentionally
chosen
to
avoid
conflicting
with
other
summer
associate
programs
or
government
and
public
interest
internships.
The
program
offers
stand-up
experience
examining
witnesses
and
making
trial
and
appellate
arguments
with
personalized
feedback
from
the
firm’s
partners,
including
co-founders
Steven
Molo
and
Jeffrey
Lamken.
And
MoloLamken
Scholars
receive
a
$4,500
cash
award,
with
travel
and
lodging
covered
for
participants
coming
from
outside
New
York
City.
We’ve
covered
the
Academy
since
its
launch,
and
the
reviews
from
past
scholars
have
been
consistently
impressive.
Participants
have
called
the
program
“mind-blowing”
and
“invaluable,”
praising
the
low-pressure
environment
where
they
could
take
risks
and
get
direct,
honest
feedback.
One
described
learning
that
their
perceived
weakness
—
being
a
hand-talker
—
could
be
leveraged
into
a
courtroom
strength
after
watching
advocacy
videos
on
mute.
The
virtue
of
breaking
down
game
film!
As
we
noted
in
our
recap
of
last
year’s
program,
attendees
were
particularly
struck
by
the
resources
the
firm
commits.
Partners
flew
in
from
every
MoloLamken
office
to
lead
sessions,
and
both
named
partners
made
themselves
consistently
present
for
individualized
feedback.
“It’s
difficult
for
lawyers
starting
out
to
get
practical
courtroom
skills
training,”
said
co-founding
partner
Jeffrey
Lamken.
“This
program
provides
outstanding
law
students
who
want
to
become
great
advocates
a
solid
grounding
based
on
our
real-world
experience.”
Partner
Megan
Church,
one
of
the
Academy’s
organizers,
added:
“It’s
important
for
us
to
stay
close
to
what’s
happening
with
law
students.
This
is
a
way
to
do
that
and
contribute
to
the
training
of
the
next
generation
of
great
advocates.”
The
gap
between
law
school
and
courtroom
competence
isn’t
closing
on
its
own.
If
anything,
with
AI
handling
more
of
the
grunt
work
traditionally
handled
by
junior
lawyers,
young
lawyers
will
need
to
become
assets
to
their
firms
as
an
advocate
earlier
than
ever.
Programs
like
this
one
offer
opportunities
that
law
students
don’t
often
get.
To
learn
more
and
apply,
visit
mololamken.com/academy.
The
deadline
for
applications
is
March
3.
Joe
Patrice is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
Feel
free
to email
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments.
Follow
him
on Twitter or
Bluesky
if
you’re
interested
in
law,
politics,
and
a
healthy
dose
of
college
sports
news.
Joe
also
serves
as
a
Managing
Director
at
RPN
Executive
Search.