Baylor Law School Teams Excel In Washington, D.C. And Dallas

February 24, 2005

by Alan Hunt

Baylor Law School moot court and mock trial teams distinguished themselves at tournaments in Washington, D.C. and Dallas during the weekend.

At the National Telecommunications Law Moot Court Competition, held in the nation's capital and sponsored by the Catholic University School of Law, the Baylor team of Alexis Young and Jim Goldsmith advanced to the semi-finals and finished third out of 16 teams from across the country.

Professor Brian Serr, team coach, said the Baylor team of Erin Ator and Dustin Benham was also one of the top teams in the tournament based on three preliminary rounds of oral argument scores but, unfortunately, did not qualify for the semi-finals.

Praising the students on their hard work and their impressive performance, Serr said, "The law school is very fortunate to have been represented by such quality advocates." He added, "This is now the sixth consecutive year that a Baylor team has finished third or better in a National Moot Court Competition."

The Baylor Mock Trial Team advanced over the weekend to the semi-final national qualifying round of the National Trial Competition, held in Dallas. The competition was sponsored by the American College of Trial Lawyers and the Texas Young Lawyers Association.

The Baylor team was composed of Lawrence Morales, Dan Tilly and Jack Skaggs. Team coach Professor Gerald Powell said they defeated teams from Tulane University, St. Mary's University, and SMU before losing to South Texas College of Law in the semi-finals. Lawrence Morales was named the Outstanding Advocate in the national qualifying round.

Powell said another Baylor team, composed of Christine Adamson, Carol Henry and Bruce Gisi, compiled a record of two wins and one loss in the preliminary rounds, defeating two teams from the University of Texas Law School. Powell said they missed advancing to the quarter-finals by just a few speaker points. Assisting in the coaching of the Baylor teams was Adjunct Professor Kathy Serr.