Two Texas A&M University School of Law Advocacy Program competition teams won their regional championships and advanced to the national finals.

The alternative dispute resolution (ADR) team of 3Ls Kaitlyn Pound and Derek McKee won the St. Louis Regional of the 20th Annual ABA Representation in Mediation Regional Competition held at Washington University School of Law on February 24. They are coached by Kay Elliott. The national finals will be held at the annual spring conference of the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution in Minneapolis in April.

The moot court team of 3Ls Heather Nichols and John Robinson and 2L Grant Schauer won the San Francisco Regional of the American Bar Association (ABA) National Appellate Advocacy Competition (NAAC) in late February. Robinson also won the fifth place Best Advocate award. They are coached by Jennifer Ellis, Director of Advocacy Programs at the law school. The team will head to national finals in Chicago in April.

In addition, 3L Brady Odom and 2L Gianna Redeemer placed second at the Houston Regional of the ABA Client Counseling Competition, narrowly missing advancement to the national finals. They also were coached by Kay Elliott. And 3L Hannah Hansen and 2L Garrett Cleveland placed fifth out of 22 teams at the Lubbock Regional of the National Trial Competition. They were coached by Justice Lee Gabriel.

"All of these students put in significant time and effort to achieve these successes at these extremely prestigious and highly competitive competitions. Please join me in congratulating them and wishing our regional champions good luck at the national finals!" said Ellis.

These aren't the only Texas A&M advocacy teams to advance to national finals this year. The Black Law Students Association's (BLSA) mock trial team of 3Ls Enrica Martey, Sara Vargas, Regina Palmer-Coleman and Shawn Pullum placed second at the southwest region's Constance Baker Motley Mock Trial Competition (CBMMTC) held in New Orleans ​in early January. The team, coached by Doug Greene, will compete in the NBLSA national finals in Little Rock in March. Learn more.

Learn more about the Texas A&M School of Law Advocacy Program:

The Advocacy Program at Texas A&M School of Law is a key component of Texas A&M School of Law’s Experiential Education program, making Aggie law students practice-ready. Directed by Jennifer Ellis, the Advocacy Program consists of three disciplines: appellate advocacy (moot court), trial advocacy (mock trial) and dispute resolution (mediation, negotiation and client counseling).

Our Moot Court, Mock Trial and Aggie Dispute Resolution teams are nationally recognized. Since the law school’s inception, the program has received:

• 3 international championships
• 12 national championships
• 25 regional championships
• 1 state championship
• 1​6 best advocate awards
• 13 best brief awards