Cumberland School of Law’s National Trial Team Ranks 3rd in the Nation

Published on September 30, 2020 by Morgan Black

Photo of the 2019-20 National Trial Team taken prior to COVID-19

Samford University Cumberland School of Law’s National Trial Team has been ranked 3rd in the nation in the 2019-20 Trial Competition Performance Rankings. The rankings are an objective snapshot of achievement in interscholastic law school trial competitions for the academic year.

Prestigious programs from UCLA School of Law and Northwestern Pritzker School of Law round out the top three alongside Cumberland. The entire list includes trial programs from Fordham University School of Law, Emory Law, and University of California Berkeley Law, just to name a few.

The rankings also list Cumberland's program 3rd overall for trial team performance since 2016.

Ramona Albin, associate professor and director of Cumberland’s advocacy programs said, “The hard work, competence, and professionalism of our National Trial Team members, coaches and faculty are responsible for this outstanding achievement."

Cumberland’s trial advocacy program has a long record of achievement and national recognition, and is widely considered among the best in the country. In the latest Best Law Schools ranking from U.S. News & World Report released in spring 2020, Cumberland's program is ranked 7th nationally among the best trial advocacy programs.

"Cumberland has a history of excellence in advocacy and that legacy continues to grow and expand," Albin added.

Dean Corky Strickland said, "These consistently high rankings are a tribute to the leadership of Professor Albin and Judge Roberts (Cumberland's head of national trial teams), the amazing dedication and talent of all our trial team coaches, and the hard work of our students—who continue to build on Cumberland’s tradition of excellence in trial advocacy."

Cumberland's trial advocacy program is rooted in a variety of doctrinal classes and skills-based courses with the added bonus of providing real-world experiences such as these competition opportunities and externships. Placements for externships include prosecutors’ offices, legal services programs, judges’ chambers and numerous other positions. From Evidence in the first year of law school to the capstone Advanced Skills in Trial Advocacy course, students have numerous opportunities to receive skills training in and out of the classroom.

View an up-to-date list of the program's competition results or learn more about Cumberland’s nationally ranked advocacy training program.

Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.