Baylor Mock Trial Team Wins Prestigious ACTL Regional Tournament

Contact: Julie Carlson, Baylor Law School, (254) 710-6681

The Baylor Law School mock trial team continued its quest for a national championship by winning the regional tournament of the National Trial Competition, sponsored by the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL). The regional competition, held in Lubbock, featured 22 teams from eight Texas law schools, as well as three law schools in Louisiana.

The Baylor Law team of Matt Cole and Cameron Weldon will advance, along with co-champion St. Mary's Law School, to the national tournament March 26-30 in Austin.

Additionally, the Baylor Law team of Joe Rivera and Casie Rivas took third place at the tournament. Mandy Jenkins and Aaron Mutnik served as evidence coaches. The teams were coached by Gerald Powell, director of the Practice Court Program and The Abner V. McCall Professor of Evidence at Baylor Law School.

Sponsored by the ACTL and the Texas Young Lawyers Association, the ACTL trial competition is the oldest national mock trial tournament in the country and, along with the Tournament of Champions and the American Association of Justice Student Trial Advocacy Competition, is considered one of the Big 3. It involves more than 1,000 law students representing more than 100 U.S. law schools. The top two teams from each of the 13 regional tournaments will compete in next month's national tournament in Austin.

The case involved in the regional competition was a civil personal injury case. Each law school is permitted to send two teams to the competition. Each team tries the case three times, with the best eight teams advancing to the semifinals and finals. Each trial involves opening and closing statements, as well as the direct and cross examination of four witnesses (each side has two witnesses).

For more information, contact Powell at 710-6597.