Elias Hernandez
Elias Hernandez became hooked on litigation early during his first year of law school, after competing in GGU’s Annual 1L Cross and Close Competition. From there, he went through the school’s intensive Summer 1st STEP Litigation Program, where he formed his foundation as a litigator. Early in his 2L year, he was a finalist in GGU’s Annual Golden Griffin challenge, which earned him a spot on the school’s National Mock Trial Team. As a member of the team, Elias competed in three mock trial competitions, including: the National Martin Luther King, Jr. Civil Rights Trial Competition; the National Student Trial Advocacy Competition; and the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association Competition, where he and his team took second place. His fourth and final mock trial competition will be the National Texas Young Lawyers Association Competition this upcoming semester.
During his time in law school, he simultaneously interned as a certified law clerk at the Contra Costa Public Defender’s Office and at the Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office. There, he applied what he learned from the litigation program to the many in-court assignments he handled. As a teacher’s assistant, for the Advanced Trial Advocacy course this upcoming semester, he hopes to assist other GGU law students to become the best advocates they can be. Ultimately, Elias hopes to take everything he has learned at GGU to become a skilled and just District Attorney.