RALEIGH — Campbell Law is among the Top 10 in the 2018-19 American Bar Association (ABA) Competitions Championship, the ABA announced today.
Texas Tech University School of Law won the crown as 2018-2019 ABA Competitions Champion by fielding a total of 10 teams across four competitions.
Campbell University – Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law, which won the Client Counseling Competition, finished fourth. Baylor Law School won the National Appellate Advocacy Competition (NAAC), the ABA’s moot court.
“This is an extraordinary accomplishment for our team and for our coaches,” Dean J. Rich Leonard said.
The top 10 schools, according to the ABA, this year are:
1. Texas Tech University School of Law
2. Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law
3. Liberty University School of Law
4. Campbell University – Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law
5 (tie). Chapman University School of Law
5 (tie). St. Mary’s University School of Law
5 (tie). University of Houston Law Center
8 (tie). Georgetown University Law Center
8 (tie). University of Akron School of Law
10. Texas A&M University School of Law
A total of 1,300 students at 154 law schools participated in this year’s ABA competitions, sponsored by the Law Student Division – Arbitration, Negotiation, Client Counseling, and the National Appellate Advocacy Competition (or as we call that one, NAAC). The ABA looked at how the law schools fared in all four, crunched the numbers, and determined which school did the best overall.
About the rankings
The title of Competitions Champion is awarded to the law school that chalked up the most points through team achievements and participation in the ABA Law Student Division’s four practical skills competitions. Ranking criteria and the point totals for the top teams can be found here.
Why did the ABA create this award? It’s not just because the ABA wants ESPN’s College GameDay to start covering its tournaments, according to the release.
“We wanted to recognize law schools that go above and beyond to help prepare their students for practice. Success in these competitions illustrate each school’s commitment to providing a well-rounded curriculum and preparing students to become highly skilled lawyers. We are proud that the ABA competitions are an important part of the hands-on learning experiences available to students at these exceptional law schools.
“Our four competitions offer students an amazing opportunity to hone essential lawyering skills before they enter practice. Through consistent participation and success in ABA competitions, these law schools display especially well-rounded practical skills training programs. We are thrilled to recognize these schools through the Competitions Championship,” said Connie S. Smothermon, Competitions Committee co-chair and director of competitions & externships at University of Oklahoma College of Law.
Judges for the competitions included volunteer attorneys and sitting members of the bench.
Registration for next year’s battles will be open in June. The inaugural winner of the competition was Stetson Law.
ABOUT CAMPBELL LAW
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 4,200 alumni, who make their home in nearly all 50 states and beyond. In 2019, Campbell Law will celebrate 40 years of graduating legal leaders and 10 years of being located in a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of North Carolina’s Capital City.