ADVOCACY

Texas Tech Law’s advocacy program celebrated a major milestone during the 20212022 season securing its 50th national championship!

3Ls Taylor Holley, Alicia Mpande, and Kayla Schaded won the Law School’s 50th national title on February 3, 2022, at the 72nd Annual National Moot Court Competition—the oldest, and arguably most prestigious moot court competition in the world.

The team competed against Chicago-Kent College of Law. The case’s first issue centered on whether inmates represented by counsel can file a notice of appeal by using something called the “prison mailbox rule,” or whether that rule is reserved for pro se inmates. The second issue concerned whether the prison’s refusal to provide gender affirmation surgery is cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment.

Alicia and Kayla delivered the oral argument as the Respondent. Alicia was awarded the tournament’s Best Advocate award, while Kayla won Runner-Up Best Advocate.

Aside from being a milestone championship, this win was particularly important because, combined with their win at the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition last year, Taylor and Alicia become just the third and fourth people ever to win both titles.

These students headed home during their first year in law school for spring break and didn’t return to a normal law school experience until their 3L year. Now, they enter the profession prepared to think critically about difficult situations and work toward creative solutions.

“That’s just an amazing accomplishment—winning the two biggest and most prestigious advocacy competitions in the country,” said Rob Sherwin, Champions in Advocacy Endowed Professor of Law and director of the Advocacy Program. “Indeed, there are just four people in history who have ever done that, and two of them go to Texas Tech Law.”

Earlier in the year in Carbondale, the team of 2Ls Jacey DuBois and Lawson Hamilton won the Law School’s 49th National Championship at the National Health Law Moot Court Competition. This is the advocacy program’s third Health Law title in the last five years. The duo also won the tournament’s Best Brief award, scoring an astounding seven points higher than the next highest placing brief.

Finishing third in the University of Houston Blakely Advocacy Institute’s ranking of the best Moot Court programs for a second consecutive year, the advocacy program remains a point of pride for the Texas Tech Law community.