RALEIGH – Campbell Law School advocates beat out teams from 13 other law schools to become the 2026 champions at the 12th Estrella Mock Trial Competition (ETAC) held April 11-12 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
This year’s team was made up of Robert Massey ‘26, Jessica Griffin ‘26, Hunter Walker ‘27 and Whitney Peck ‘27. The team was proudly coached by alumni Jernigan Newell ‘23 and Christian Lunghi ‘23.
The competition, which is co-hosted by the Law Firm Estrella LLC and The George Washington University Law, is a prestigious intercollegiate event focused on civil litigation, featuring top law schools from the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
“Thank you to all of our mock trial team members for all of your hard work that resulted in such a successful season for Campbell Law,” said Director of Competitive Advocacy Rene Shekmer. “And, of course, a special thank you to all of our wonderful coaches who give so much of their time and experience to make our teams stand out.”
The team advanced to the semi-final round after defeating their preliminary competitors. The field was narrowed from 14 teams to four. Campbell Law advocates went on to beat a team from Harvard Law to advance to the final round where they came out on top against Northwestern Law. The win also results in an automatic invitation to return to the competition in 2027.
“Spent the past four months coaching this team for the Estrella National Mock Trial Competition in San Juan, Puerto Rico,” Lunghi wrote in a post on LinkedIn. “A lot of long nights and repetition, refining arguments, tightening examinations and pushing for precision where it matters. What you don’t see here is the grind behind it; rewriting openings, running crosses over and over and learning how to stay composed when things don’t go your way. I’m proud of this group, They showed up the entire time. They put in the work, took feedback seriously and got better every week. That’s really what this is about. Grateful to be a part of it.”
Newell added in another LinkedIn post, “Christian Lunghi and I spent the past several months coaching a team for the Estrella Mock Trial competition in Puerto Rico. The team spent many late nights preparing and performing. It all paid off! Campbell University, Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law team took first place beating teams such as Harvard and Northwestern. I am immensely proud of the competitors Jessica Griffin, Robert Massey, Whitney Peck, and Hunter Walker. They will be great advocates in the legal profession and I can’t wait to see them in practice. Also as always a huge thank you to Alberto Estrella and The George Washington University Law School having us back!”
Campbell Law has a strong history of success at the ETAC including winning the 8th edition in April 2022 and achieving runner-up in 2019 and 2016. The team, coached by alumni and faculty, regularly advances to the final rounds.
Estrella LLC is a full-service law firm with expertise in civil litigation. Accordingly, the competition uses a civil case. A sampling of past problems include: whether a store was negligent after an alleged mugging occurred in their parking lot, possible negligence of a company after alleged sexual harassment on a business trip, and whether a retailer is liable to an independent contractor for injuries caused by a competitor in an event organized by the retailer. Some years, the choice of calling two of three potential witnesses is provided to each team.
The competition is only open to 14 law school teams. Participating this year in addition to Campbell Law were:
- Brooklyn Law School
- Emory University School of Law
- The George Washington University Law School
- Georgetown University Law Center
- Harvard Law School
- Loyola University Chicago School of Law
- Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
- Southern University Law Center
- Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico – Facultad de Derecho
- The University of Colorado Law School
- University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law
- UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law
- University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
ABOUT CAMPBELL LAW SCHOOL
Since its founding in 1986, Campbell Law has developed lawyers who possess moral conviction, social compassion, and professional competence, and who view the law as a calling to serve others. Among its accolades, the school has been recognized by the American Bar Association (ABA) as having the nation’s top Professionalism Program and by the American Academy of Trial Lawyers for having the nation’s best Trial Advocacy Program. Campbell Law boasts more than 5,000 alumni, who make their home in nearly all 50 states and beyond. In 2026, Campbell Law is celebrating 50 years of graduating legal leaders and 17 years of being located in a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of North Carolina’s Capital City.