Mercer University School of Law took home another national championship when students Isiah Chavis, John Flowers, Tessa Sizemore, Ariana Laboy Mena and Riya Patel won the Allstar National Mock Trial Bracket Challenge on Nov. 13.
Mercer Law competed against 65 other teams for the bracket challenge, which is the largest invitational law school mock trial tournament in the country.
The team advanced to nationals after winning the regional competition in October, prevailing over several nationally ranked programs. Mercer faced Harvard in the semifinals of the national competition and conquered UCLA in the finals.
In addition to Mercer Law winning the competition, Flowers received the best advocate award.
“It was such an honor to represent Mercer Law School on the national stage,” Flowers said. “I’m incredibly grateful for all the support that the Mercer Advocacy Council receives from the law school administration, faculty and alumni. We have a phenomenal director of advocacy —Katie Powers — and an impressive group of new advocates.
“I’m very excited to see this program continue to grow and succeed for many years to come.”
Powers said the Mercer Law School team showed everyone “a masterclass on trial advocacy, evidence and persuasion.”
“This championship was the perfect marriage of work ethic and leadership. We dedicated well over 100 hours of preparation for the opportunity to hoist a championship trophy,” said Chavis, co-counsel for the Allstar team. “Our coach Katie Powers groomed us into masters of the Federal Rules of Evidence and trial techniques.
“The bar may be high, but I’m confident that we will continue the same formula to improve and reach unbelievable heights.”
“The team members have dedicated hours to practice and preparation with the goal of gaining meaningful experiences,” said interim law Dean Karen J. Sneddon. “The competition result recognizes the high quality of their competition performance and also anticipates the continued success that these students will achieve as Mercer Law students and Mercer lawyers.”
Members of Mercer Law’s mock trial teams are dedicated to excelling in trial practice. Competitions encourage the students to become the best advocates for their future clients at the trial court level.
Earlier this year, Mercer Law took home two national championships in the American Bar Association’s practical skills competitions of client counseling and negotiations. Overall, the law school tied for second place in the national 2021-22 ABA Competitions Championships.
