Student Trial Lawyers Association Having Championship Year
February 4, 2005
Having won a National Championship and a National Runner-Up finish during the Fall 2004 semester, the College of Law’s Student Trial Lawyers Association is hoping to continue its incredible success during the Spring 2005 semester.
During the weekend of this past November 19th, STLA had two teams competing simultaneously in separate parts of the country. One team competed here in Atlanta in the 7th Annual William W. Daniel National Mock Trial Invitational. The Daniel team, made up of Paige E. Boorman, Brandon R. Taylor, Marshall Dees, Kristin Haynes, Neera Makwana and Graham McDonald, won the National Championship. Ms. Boorman and Mr. Taylor were named the Best Advocates of the entire competition. Among the eighteen teams competing in the Daniel competition were Duke, Emory, University of Georgia, Loyola, University of Houston, John Marshall (Chicago), University of Alabama and Texas Tech.
That same weekend, at the Lone Star Classic national competition in San Antonio, STLA’s team placed Second overall. That team was made up of Amanda Lowery, Andrew Gebhardt, Nai Karimamanesh and Marc Clark. Some of the teams competing in the Lone Star were Catholic University, FSU and the University of Oklahoma.
Also competing for STLA during the Fall 2004 semester at the Buffalo Invitational national competition were Phil Pilgrim, Chip Hodge, Trae Pipkin and David Brauns, and at the National Trial Advocacy Mock Trial Competition in East Lansing, Michigan, Laura Dyes, Ed Napier, Jessica Reece and Steve Shoemaker. Both teams did extremely well with the Buffalo team making it to the quarterfinals and the Michigan team tying for fifth place.
Next up for STLA is the American Bar Association National Trial Competition in Jacksonville, February 11th-13th. Amanda Lowery, Ed Napier, Seth Martin, Austin Shutt, Delaycee Rowland and Nitya Pillai will be competing in Jacksonville.
Also this February is the American Trial Lawyers Association Regional competition in Memphis, Tennessee. STLA will be sending two four-student teams to the ATLA competition- Daniel Farnsworth, Heather Robinson, Kynna Duncil and Samir Patel and Brandon Taylor, Andrew Gebhardt, Chip Hodge and Phil Pilgrim. The team that wins the Regional in Memphis will advance to the ATLA National Finals in West Palm Beach in March.