Regent University School of Law’s Trial Advocacy Board is busy making a name for itself. After being awarded “Best Brief” last year at the invitation-only National Pretrial Competition hosted by Stetson University, the team was ready for more.And this year, they got exactly what they aimed for. The team of Lu Aloupas, Jerry Harris, Kate Hart, and David Johnson were named Overall 1st Place Team and National Pretrial Champions at the competition held October 3-4, in Gulfport, Florida.
In addition to this honorable achievement, the team was recognized for Overall Best Brief once again, teammate Hart was given Best Oral Advocate in the Semi-Final Round, and teammate Harris was given Best Oral Advocate in the Final Round.
The team did not lose a round during the entire competition, even when slated against Chicago-Kent, a traditional top-ten Trial Advocacy powerhouse.
To compete, the team submitted written briefs on a pretrial motion and presented oral arguments and evidence on the motions. Three-hour rounds are designed to simulate motions practice, which is what most junior attorneys spend a significant amount of time doing after law school. Team Coach and Professor David Velloney said, “It's a great concept and Stetson deserves credit for developing and hosting such a relevant competition.”
Velloney also remarked on what made the success possible. “Special thanks are due to our Legal Research and Writing [faculty] whose dedication to our students once again paid big dividends in our students' ability to rise above the competition from other schools,”
he said. “Also, Professor James Duane's work with the team and dedication to the trial advocacy program significantly improved our student's arguments and ability to handle witnesses.”
The Trial Advocacy board is already busy preparing for its next competition, the ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law’s Sixth Annual Competition in early November.
Click here for further information published by Stetson College of Law regarding Regent’s victory and the National Pretrial Competition.