Fort Worth Teen Court attorneys place second in state competition

Fort Worth Teen Court attorneys place second in state competition

Published on April 29, 2026

On March 28, City of Fort Worth Municipal Court volunteer teen attorneys competed with 12 other Texas Teen Court programs to place second overall at the Statewide Mock Trial Competition held at Frisco Municipal Court.

They were coached by Fort Worth Municipal Judge Patricia Summers, Judge Laura Ganoza, Assistant City Attorney/Prosecutor Adeline Adkinson and Teen Court Coordinator Yvonne Yanez. Participants included 17-year-old James Jex, 16-year-old Christina Azor and 15-year-old Senna Shrestha.

In previous years, Fort Worth Teen Court volunteer attorneys have won numerous awards, recognitions and placed first three times.

"There is nothing more rewarding than to see these teens grow and learn during their training," Judge Patricia Summers said. "It's great to watch them shine in the competition."

In 2007, the Texas Teen Court Association began a statewide competition where teens come together to compete in mock trials in a one-day competition. The teams are made up of three teens, two attorneys and a witness. They must demonstrate the ability to present their side of the case before at least two judges, two prosecuting attorneys and two defense attorneys. The judges score them on their opening and closing statements, direct examination and cross examination of witnesses.

From 2007 until 2026, the Fort Worth Teen Court has been competing in the competition, except for a period during COVID.

Teen courts provide a voluntary alternative to traditional adjudication and sentencing for teenagers in municipal or justice courts. Texas Teen Courts are governed by Article 45A.401 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and Section 54.032 of the Family Code. When offered under the Code of Criminal, teen defendants can plead no contest or guilty and have their case heard amongst peers. Typically, instead of paying a fine, the defendant's penalty will be in the form of community service, educational programs and/or future participation in Teen Court.

Once the penalty is satisfied, the case is dismissed and the offense does not count as a conviction on the defendant's record. Teen Court is also one of the listed Youth Diversion strategies in Article 45A.505 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Teen Court also provides opportunities for juveniles and adults to volunteer within the criminal process.

See more information on Teen Court and/or related adult/teen volunteer opportunities or call 817-392-8681.

Teen Court participants

Yvonne Yañez serves as the Teen Court/Youth Diversion Coordinator for the City of Fort Worth Municipal Court, where she oversees the Teen Court operations. With over nine years of dedicated service, she has made a meaningful impact on youth diversion programs in the community. She currently serves as President-Elect of the Teen Court Association of Texas (TCAT) and will assume the presidency in 2027.

Judge Summers has been actively involved with the Teen Court program for 24 years. She has been the main judge to train the teens each year for the Teen Court Competition and has won three competitions in the past. Currently, she is the judge for the Juvenile and Truancy dockets.

Judge Ganoza joined the Teen Court Competition team this year. She previously coached a high-school mock trial team and was excited to join the City's team. Currently, she is the judge at Arraignment Court and Walk-in-Court.

Assistant City Attorney/Prosecutor Adeline Adkinson was born in North Dakota and spent most of her childhood in Lufkin, Texas. After growing up in a small town, she moved to Denton, Texas, to attend Texas Woman's University. Following her undergraduate studies, she enrolled at Texas A&M University School of Law. During law school, she gained experience in immigration and trademark law. Her greatest accomplishment during that time was creating a legal access survey that connected individuals with needed legal services. After graduating, Adkinson worked for the Texas Workforce Commission as an Administrative Appeals Hearing Officer before accepting her current position with the City of Fort Worth Prosecutor's Office.

Photo at top: Teen Court participants James Jex, Christina Azor and Seanna Shrestha.

Photo: Teen Court coaches: Coordinator Yvonne Yanez, Municipal Court Judge Laura Ganoza, Municipal Court Judge Patricia Summers and City Prosecutor Adeline Adkinson.

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