Campbell Law Class of 2013 graduate Andrew Shores cemented his reputation as one of the finest trial advocates in the country by placing in the top four at Baylor Law School’s 2013 Top Gun National Mock Trial Competition, June 6-9 in Waco, Texas.
The innovative, invitation-only mock trial tournament takes advocates from 16 of the top advocacy schools in the nation and has them go head-to-head for the honor of being named Top Gun.
Following the first two rounds of competition, Shores held a 2-0 record and the top seed. Facing the second-seeded competitor in the third round he prevailed decisively by winning all three ballots. In the fourth round Shores represented the party on the opposite side of the case against a new second-seeded competitor. Once again, he prevailed by winning all three ballots from the judges. At the end of the preliminary rounds Shores had amassed a 4-0 record while collecting 11 of 12 ballots. No other competitor matched that mark. In doing so, he advanced to the final four of the competition.
Prior to the semifinal round competitors had to take a single deposition after being given only five minutes’ notice, which would later count as a single point on the semifinal ballot. In the semifinal round, Shores took one judge’s ballot by a significant margin and the other two scored the round as “even,” resulting in no decisive winner in the courtroom. In the end, the opposing competitor advanced by a single point based on the deposition grading. The eventual competition winner had been bested by Shores previously in a preliminary round.
“Andrew Shores concludes his law student competitive advocacy participation as one of the very finest student trial lawyers in the country,” said Campbell Law Director of Advocacy and Assistant Professor of Law Dan Tilly. “His record of accomplishments as a competitive advocate over a two year period on behalf of Campbell Law is unparalleled. In the end, he finished in the top four of the entire country. I am lucky to have been along for the ride.”
Founded in 2010, the competition creates a challenging atmosphere for competitors. Unlike other mock trial competitions, participants do not receive the case file until they arrive in Waco – just 24 hours before the first round of trials begin.
Preparation includes reviewing depositions, records and photographs, and taking a trip to the actual places where events in the hypothetical case occurred. Shortly before each round, competitors are assigned a witness or witnesses who may be used at participants’ discretion during the round. The jurors for each round are distinguished trial lawyers and judges.
The National Top Gun Mock Trial Competition is limited to 16 law schools with a single student, instead of the usual two, representing each school. Baylor Law, as the organizing institution, does not field a team.
ABOUT CAMPBELL LAW:
Since its founding in 1976, the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University has developed lawyers who possess moral conviction, social compassion and professional competence, and who view the law as a calling to serve others. 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 3,400 alumni, including more than 2,400 who reside and work in North Carolina. For 26 years, Campbell Law’s overall record of success on the North Carolina Bar Exam has been unsurpassed by any other North Carolina law school. In September 2009, Campbell Law relocated to a state-of-the-art building in downtown Raleigh. For more information, visit http://law.campbell.edu.
LIKE US ON FACEBOOK:
http://www.facebook.com/campbelllawschool