Summary: The University of Georgia School of Law team competing at the national mock trial tournament took first place.
The national South Texas Mock Trial Challenge and Intrastate Moot Court Competition took place this past week at the South Texas College of Law in Houston and at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School. The University of Georgia School of Law teams at both competitions won first place. UGA School of Law now has three national titles for the 2017-18 season, including the prestigious state title, according to a school press release.
The mock trial team consisting of third-year law student Lauren E. Lutton and second-year law students Shanice Echols, C. Daniel Lockaby and Robert Harrison II took the national title in the 2018 South Texas Mock Trial Challenge. Lutton received recognition for her preliminary round oral skills by being named the best advocate for the final round.
The team went undefeated in the competition, beating teams from Charleston Law School, the University of Missouri at Kansas City, Campbell University, and Georgia State University. This is the second year in a row that the law school has won this competition and the third time in five years to win the championship trophy. School of Law Director of Advocacy Kellie Casey said, “Our South Texas mock trial team was outstanding from the start, and they just got better and better with each and every round.”
The 2018 Intrastate Moot Court Competition team for UGA Law was comprised of second-year law students Anna C. Braue, Timia Skelton and Thomas Grantham. They beat teams from Georgia State University in the semifinal and final rounds to take first place.
Each of the four law schools in Georgia brings two teams to the annual Peach State courtroom battle. The other team from UGA included second-year law students Conner Rose, Cliffton Jacques, and Dymond Anthony. The school last won this competition in 2016 and a total of seven titles in the last ten years.
Casey stated, “Winning the state trophy is always special to our advocacy program as the state of Georgia has the most competitive moot court teams in the country. We are glad to have the championship trophy back in our trophy case!”
Law school Dean Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge added, “These successes demonstrate the law school’s commitment to preparing its students for real-world practice while connecting them to professionals and leaders in the legal community – who in this case serve as competition judges – through a variety of different opportunities.”
The school has won other national advocacy competitions this school year, including the 8th Billings, Exum & Frye National Moot Court Competition and the 2018 Charleston School of Law National Moot Court Competition.
UGA School of Law has been regarded as one of the nation’s top law schools. Do you think winning these competitions will add to the school’s reputation? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
To learn more about the University of Georgia School of Law, read these articles:
- UGA Law Tackles Gerrymandering with Conference Theme
- UGA Law Wins Moot Court Competition
- University of Georgia Law School Introduces Program to Promote Diversity
Photo: law.uga.edu