Campbell Law advocates win National Bayou Challenge Mock Trial Competition

Photo of four Campbell Law advocates posing in front of courthouse in Baton Rouge at Bayou Challenge

RALEIGH — Campbell Law School advocates won the National Bayou Challenge Mock Trial Competition held March 13-15 at Louisiana State University law school in Baton Rouge.
 
The team was made up of second-year law students Aidan Connor, Caitlin Heidel, Steven Downs and Courtney Rea.
 
“Heidel was also named Best Overall Oralist and Connor won the award for Best Cross Examination,” said the team’s coach Rene Shekmer, who also serves as the director of the law school’s Competitive Advocacy Program. The team was also coached by Professor Chris Cox, who serves as director of advocacy for the law school.
 

“Aidan Connor, Steven Downs, Caitlin Heidel, and Courtney Rea dominated at this competition,” Cox wrote in a post on LinkedIn. “They are a shining example of the quality of lawyers Campbell University, Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law produces. Consistent with several of the judges’ feedback, I wholeheartedly believe they are already operating above the average licensed attorney, as 2Ls. They were so well-polished that several of the judges tried to recruit them to come work for them!

“Aidan’s opening statements were textbook and persuasive. Caitlin’s closing arguments wove in what actually happened at trial, including a moment from her cross-examination where she had skillfully led the witness into confirming her narrative. Courtney masterfully used exhibits during her presentation and brought home her points powerfully in closing arguments. Steven’s cross-examination of a difficult witness showed poise and caught the witness attempting to introduce new facts they failed to mention prior to trial but should have (by using the highlighter trick with the witness).

“These advocates were clearly prepared. However, what set them apart was how they worked as a team. The results of the competition are a result of the combined efforts of each of them working together while preparing and presenting their case at the competition.”

 
The National Bayou Challenge Mock Trial Competition is one of the few national mock trial competitions that feature a criminal case. The Bayou Challenge is a four-round mock trial competition where teams of four students present a full criminal case under the Federal Rules of Evidence. Students serve as both advocates and witnesses.

All rounds of the competition will be held at the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center and at the 19th Judicial District Court.

Fourteen law schools from across the country traveled to Baton Rouge to compete. This year’s case was a federal criminal trial involving allegations that the defendant attempted to import and sell some of the French crown jewels stolen in the famous Louvre heist.

“In Louisiana, we have a word – lagniappe (pronounced “lan-yap”) – which means “a little something extra.” The Bayou Challenge embodies that spirit: an extra competition, delivered with the fun and hospitality of Louisiana,” LSU Law’s website states.

ABOUT CAMPBELL LAW SCHOOL

Since its founding in 1976, 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.