Mercer Law’s mock trial team of Briana Carter (3L), Leah Mayo (3L) and Lauren Wilmer (3L) made it to the semi-finals in the prestigious National Trial Competition, Region 5, which was held in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Feb. 16-18. Mercer fielded a second team consisting of Michael Alexander (3L), Taylor Nelson (2L) and Gabrielle Biggs (2L). Both Carter and Alexander both received Outstanding Advocate awards for their exceptional performance.
Jason Martin coached the team and praised all of the students for their hard work, “Overall, this was a tremendously successful weekend for Mercer Law. This was the last competition for veteran advocates Briana Carter, Michael Alexander, Lauren Wilmer, Taylor Nelson and Leah Mayo, all of whom have very bright futures ahead of them in the courtroom. Their 2L teammates, Gabrielle Biggs, Carole Collier and Robbie Wright stand ready to fill the giant shoes being left behind. It has been a tremendous pleasure coaching this talented group of advocates.”
Carter, Wilmer and Mayo entered the third round of the competition as the top ranked team and faced off against number two seed and host school, Campbell Law School, where they swept the judges ballots. In the semi-finals, they were the only all-female team left in the competition and were also the only undefeated team.
The National Trial Competition was established in 1975 to encourage and strengthen students’ advocacy skills through quality competition and valuable interaction with members of the bench and bar. The program is co-sponsored by the American College of Trial Lawyers and is designed to expose law students to the nature of trial practice and to serve as a supplement to their education. The Texas Young Lawyers Association presents the competition, which attracts teams from more than 140 law schools and involves more than 1,000 law students each year.
