STLA Team Advances to Nationals
Georgia State Law's Student Trial Lawyers Association team won the Region 5 championship for the National Trial Competition in Durham, N.C., securing a team bid for the national tournament in March.
The national tournament's regional competition attracts more than 1,000 students from 140 law schools. Just 28 teams from 26, including Georgia State Law advance to compete for the top prize of $10,000 at the National Trial Competition beginning on March 26 in Austin, Texas.
During the regional competition, winners Kyle Jackson (J.D. '15) and Kevin Coleman (J.D./M.B.A. '15) defeated the University of Georgia, Charleston School of Law and two Wake Forest teams to win first place and the regional title. Regional team witnesses were Jed Meshew (J.D. '15) and Melissa McDaniel (J.D. '15).
"We worked so hard and the win felt amazing," Jackson says. "But we have a lot of hard work left. We aren't satisfied with just winning the region."
Coleman says the competition experience was rewarding.
"The biggest challenge was learning on the fly. North Carolina's local court rules and customs differ slightly from Georgia's," Coleman says. "Although it was tough, we were able to take the judges' critiques and slightly alter our approach to fit in with the style."
Along with Georgia State Law's STLA founder Tom Jones, coaches Paige Boorman (J.D. '05) and Lisa Bobb (J.D '11) assisted the winning team.
"Our team put in a ton of heart and a lot of hard work," Boorman says. "Tom Jones and the rest of our coaching staff push our students to be the best they can be so that win or lose in mock trial, they are prepared for the courtroom after they graduate.
"We are very proud of Kevin and Kyle," she says. "We can't wait to see what they do in Texas. I know beyond that they will make Georgia State Law and our profession proud."