Blank Rome LLP was proud to host the annual celebration banquet for Temple University Beasley School of Law’s nationally ranked trial advocacy program on May 14, 2026, in the firm’s Philadelphia office. The event honored the program’s extraordinary achievements this year, including its #2 national ranking in trial advocacy by U.S. News & World Report, a distinction the program has held among the top three nationally every year since U.S. News & World Report began ranking trial advocacy programs.
The banquet also celebrated the trial team’s remarkable 2025–2026 competition season, which included a first-place finish and Best Advocate Awards at the Premiere Trial Competition and continued dominance at competitions nationwide.
Blank Rome’s relationship with Temple Law’s trial advocacy program spans decades and runs deep. The firm is home to numerous Temple Law alumni from both the J.D. and LL.M. in Trial Advocacy programs, and its attorneys serve the program as coaches, adjunct faculty, and mentors.
Among those who attended the celebration were the Honorable Mitchell S. Goldberg, who joined Blank Rome in January 2026 after serving as Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Judge Goldberg earned his J.D. from Temple Law, where he was a “Founding Father” of the trial team and where he continues to serve as an adjunct professor. Blank Rome associates Nicholas “Nick” C. Guth and Timothy (“Timmy”) J. Miller attended the event as coaches of Temple Law’s competitive trial teams and adjunct faculty. Nick led the Temple Law team to a first-place finish at the 2025 Premiere Trial Competition, and Timmy previously guided the team to victory at the 2024 Capitol City Challenge and the 2024 Premiere Trial Competition, where team members earned Best Advocate awards.
Investing in Trial Excellence: Trial Accelerator and Trial Academy
Blank Rome’s support for Temple Law’s program reflects the firm’s broader commitment to developing elite trial lawyers, a commitment that extends to its own associates through signature training programs. The Trial Accelerator program equips junior and mid-level associates with essential litigation skills, such as motions practice, evidence, and depositions, to prepare them for future courtroom success and participation in Trial Academy. In partnership with the National Institute of Trial Advocacy (“NITA”), Blank Rome’s Trial Academy offers senior associates a rigorous, in-house trial advocacy curriculum that starts with virtual training and culminates in live mock trials at a courthouse in Philadelphia, ensuring the firm maintains a bench of high-caliber trial attorneys.
“The same philosophy that drives Temple Law’s trial advocacy program, learning by doing under the guidance of experienced trial lawyers, is embedded in Blank Rome’s approach to attorney development,” said Nick. “We recently completed our 2026 Trial Accelerator program, in which 51 litigation associates worked alongside 19 partner faculty members to sharpen their direct and cross-examination skills. Programs like these ensure our attorneys are courtroom-ready from the earliest stages of their careers.”
Timmy added, “On June 6, Blank Rome will hold its 13th Annual Trial Academy at the James A. Byrne United States Courthouse in Philadelphia, a capstone program for senior litigation associates that culminates in live mock trials presided over by the firm’s retired judges. Nick and I are proud to participate as witnesses to help facilitate the exercises. Our work coaching Temple Law’s trial team and our roles in Blank Rome’s training programs are two sides of the same coin: building confident, skilled advocates who are prepared to try cases and win.”