SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - TelAve -- UCLA School of Law received a $300,000 donation from alumnus Barry Cappello to support its A. Barry Cappello Program in Trial Advocacy, bringing his foundation's total contribution to nearly $3.5 million since the program's founding in 2009. The program's focus is on providing an immersive approach to litigation training. Prior to Cappello's financial support, the school was without an official trial advocacy program or certificate of proficiency in courtroom training.

Half of the funding will go to the Cappello Endowment Scholarship Fund for Trial Advocacy to assist new law students set on careers in litigation. The other half is a direct gift to be used for the administration of the growing program and to fund mock trial team travel expenses as students compete all over the country.

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"Many of the very top law firms recruit for their litigation departments directly from the UCLA Trial Advocacy program," said Cappello, managing partner of Cappello & Noël LLP in Santa Barbara, California. "It's a testament to the quality work being done by our students, many of whom are scholarship recipients. Students who are passionate about representing clients in court must have affordable access to the very best training. UCLA's Trial Advocacy program achieves that."

In the 2020-24 school year under director Justin Bernstein, the program's mock trial team won 11 competitions (https://law.ucla.edu/news/trial-team-ends-another-record-breaking-year-nations-top-squad), finished the year at number one in every national ranking and won the National Trial Competition for a record fourth consecutive year.

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"Barry's vision, advice, and generosity have created an unprecedented trial advocacy program. This donation will allow even more students to develop their trial skills and prepare for careers in the courtroom," says Bernstein. "The law school is grateful to Barry for his financial support, and I am personally grateful for his continued partnership."

Cappello, who earned both his undergraduate and law degrees from UCLA, has secured more than $2 billion in awards and settlements during his litigation career. He serves as an emeritus advisor on the UCLA Law Board of Advisors.

Cappello plans to continue his foundation's philanthropy to ensure UCLA School of Law remains one of the most prominent law schools in the nation. For more on the school and donation opportunities, go to https://law.ucla.edu.