RALEIGH — Kevin Littlejohn II (’20) has been selected to compete in the 2020 Top Gun National Mock Trial Competition on May 27-31 hosted by Baylor Law School. This is the 11th Top Gun Competition, but the first one to be conducted in a virtual courtroom environment with participants competing wholly through online video platforms.
“As a standout student advocate, Littlejohn has distinguished himself during his time at Campbell Law, having prevailed as a tournament champion in four separate advocacy tournaments,” says Professor Dan Tilly, director of the law school’s advocacy program.
As a third-year law student, Littlejohn earned the prestigious Best Opening Statement award at the National Civil Trial Competition (NCTC) hosted by Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, California, where he and his teammates brought home Campbell Law’s first championship at the prestigious invite-only tournament. Littlejohn was the only student representing a North Carolina law school invited to this year’s competition.
As a second-year law student, Littlejohn helped his team secure both regional and national championship titles at the American Association of Justice’s (AAJ) Student Trial Advocacy Competition Mock Trial Competition in Raleigh and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, respectively, marking the first time Campbell Law claimed the coveted national first-place finish. Littlejohn also prevailed as a champion of Campbell Law’s 2018 Old Kivett Intramural Negotiation Competition.
In addition to competing as a student advocate, Littlejohn served as the Chief of Justice of Campbell Law School’s Student Honor Court, parliamentarian of Campbell Law School’s Black Law Student Association (BLSA) and as a teaching scholar and research assistant for Professor Lisa Lukasik’s Torts I & II courses.
Baylor Law’s Top Gun National Mock Trial Competition is an esteemed, invitation-only mock trial tournament which invites advocates from the 16 top trial advocacy schools to compete head-to-head for the honor of being designated as the “Top Gun” best student advocate in the nation. In addition to that coveted title, the championship trophy comes with a winner-take-all prize of $10,000.
Top Gun advocates are permitted to have one fellow advocate working as co-counsel throughout the competition. Littlejohn will be joined this year by one of his outstanding former mock trial teammates, Madeline Lipe (’20). Lipe is an accomplished advocate in her own right, having finished at the top of mock trial and moot court competitions across the country.
This Top Gun Competition marks the sixth time Campbell Law has secured an invitation to the prestigious tournament. Campbell Law’s storied success competing at Top Gun has included two final four finishes by Andrew Shores (‘13) and Kaitlin Rothecker (’15), and two championship victories by Tatiana Terry (’19) and Jacob Morse (’17). Campbell Law School and Yale Law School are the only programs to count two Top Gun victories among their ranks.
Unlike other mock trial competitions, Top Gun competitors do not receive case files until 24 hours before the first round of the trial competition begins. Competition preparation time routinely includes reviewing depositions, records and photographs and involves analysis of the scenes of crimes or events where the hypothetical case occurred. Before each round, competitors are assigned witnesses who may be used at their discretion. The jurors for each round of the competition are distinguished trial lawyers and judges.
Baylor Law School is making history in hosting Top Gun XI as the nation’s first-ever completely virtual mock trial tournament. According to Baylor Law School, the Top Gun National Mock Trial Competition plans to utilize the latest advances in virtual meeting technology to connect the chosen advocates from the 16 top trial advocacy schools.
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 celebrated 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.