Samford University Cumberland School of Law competed in the Battle of the Experts National Mock Trial Competition, hosted by Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law, Sept. 23-26, 2022. 

 

Students Jake Blalock, Samantha Breland, Teylor Lavin, Marilee Butler, Lauren Briscoe and Hannah Maynor faced off in the preliminary rounds against Temple University School of Law, Pace School of Law, Fordham School of Law and St. Mary’s School of Law. 

 

The team advanced to the semifinals after defeating two programs ranked in the top 10 advocacy programs by U.S. News & World Report. In the semifinals, the team fell three ballots to two to eventual champion UCLA. The team was coached by Spenser Templeton ’15, Curtis Seale ’17 and Rylee Davis ’21.

 

“I am so proud of the work our students and coaches put into this competition,” said Matt Woodham, interim director of trial advocacy. “For the first time since 2019 in this competition, our students had the opportunity to showcase their advocacy skills in real courtrooms rather than on Zoom. To come one ballot away from eliminating the eventual champion is an incredible achievement that speaks very highly of the students’ ability to soon effectively advocate in real courtrooms with real stakes.”