A team from the Student Trial Lawyers Association at Georgia State University College of Law took second place at the 9th Annual National Trial Advocacy Competition at Michigan State University College of Law Oct. 23-25. Sponsored by the MSU Law Moot Court & Trial Advocacy Board, this national competition drew 26 teams from all over the United States.

Heather Chambers and Duane Cochenour, both 3Ls at the College of Law, were the attorneys for both the state and the defense for this criminal trial competition, which meant they had to be prepared to present both sides at the flip of a coin. Mechelle Bumpers and Blake Staten, both 2Ls at the College of Law, were witnesses for both sides. Each had to learn a role for each side of the case, often in direct conflict with the testimony from their other part.

The team advanced all the way to the finals before losing to a team from Baylor University School of Law. 

Tom Jones, head coach for the Student Trial Lawyers Association, and Alison Burlson, a former STLA member, prosecutor and litigation professor at the College of Law, were the coaches for this team.

Pictured from left to right are Bumpers, Burlson, Chambers, Staten, Cochenour, and Jones.

For more information, visit the STLA Web site.