The Pepperdine University School of Law’s trial advocacy team earned first place last weekend at the sixth annual American Bar Association (ABA) Labor and Employment Trial Advocacy Competition in Washington D.C.
Third-year law students Richard Gillespie Hannah Montgomery and Zack Shine along with second-year student Seth Laursen formed the team that scored the victory against Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law.
Students involved in trial advocacy participate in a realistic appellate trial and dispute proceeding against teams of law students from other schools nationwide.
The organizer of the competition— in this case the ABA— creates a statement of facts and the teams set out to apply the law and argue their side of the case.
Practice and teamwork were key to success in this competition. On average the team practiced together for nine hours a week and would often rehearse among themselves. Students had the advantage of support from faculty students and alumni. School of Law alumni came in to judge practice runs for the winning team and gave them suggestions and tips on how to improve their courtroom skills.
Competitors also benefited from their coaches professor Harry Caldwell and professor Michael Crowe. Since joining the faculty Caldwell has received several teaching awards including the Luckman Distinguished Teaching Award in 1991 and 2000 and the Richard Jacobson Award as the nation’s premier trial advocacy teacher in 2000.
Professor Michael Crowe is an active author and lecturer for the Litigation Section of the ABA and the Practicing Law Institute. He has lectured at the annual Meeting of the Litigation Section of the ABA and participated on the faculty of an ABA National Institute on trial advocacy.
“It really has to come from the whole team Gillespie said. Fortunately throughout this whole event you see the support of Pepperdine because you have other classmates come and be witness for you … the e-mails phone calls and text messages people coming up to you before the competition and wishing you good luck— that was a major contribution to our success.”
“This was an amazing experience where I truly appreciated our team’s cohesiveness and dedication Hannah Montgomery said in a press release. I credit Pepperdine and our talented coaches for equipping us to go against the best in the country.”
Earning a spot on the trial advocacy team is a highly competitive process at the School of Law. Each candidate has five minutes to prepare an opening statement and then perform it in front of a panel of judges consisting of trial team coaches and professors. Once the team is picked students compete in a series of mock trials and appeals throughout the season.
If teams do well enough they have the chance of making it to the national final. This annual tradition allows students to sharpen their experience in a courtroom setting as well as improve their public speaking skills while participating in a mock trial.
When asked if the team expected its victorious outcome Gillespie said “we put so much work in and after getting past the regional I definitely knew we had a good shot. Once you get there it’s pretty much ‘wow’ this is close we need to stay sharp and play our game. It was always confidence [that we felt] but we were definitely never cocky. We couldn’t downplay on the other teams because everyone there was talented.”
Established by the Labor and Employment Law Section of the ABA the LEL trial advocacy competition’s purpose is to introduce law students to the challenges and rewards of both employment and labor litigation. Not only do they have the opportunity to develop courtroom skills but law students also have the chance to network with fellow students as well as labor and employment lawyers.
“It was a great experience probably the most nerve-racking thing I’ve done throughout my three years in law school; but when all was said and done it was worth it Shine said.
After months of dedication and hard work, this team’s challenge has come to a victorious end. Next semester, the process will start all over again with a new team, which they hope will be as successful as the last.