Published on October 3, 2011 at 7 p.m. by William Nunnelley  

A team from Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Cumberland School of Law won the 12th annual National Trial Advocacy Competition hosted by the Michigan State Â鶹ÊÓƵ College of Law over 26 other teams last weekend (Sept. 29-Oct. 2).

            Cumberland defeated the Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Florida in the finals after wins over the Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Houston in the semifinals and Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Maryland in the quarter-finals.

            Team members were Drew Haskins of Chattanooga, Tenn.; Brittany Stancombe of Clarksville, Tenn.; Sam Nicolle of Hazel Green, Ala.; and Patrick Hinchey of Savannah, Ga.  Attorney Sara Williams of the firm Carr Allison, a member of Cumberland’s 2006 award-winning national trial team, was the coach.

            “The performance of the student advocates who competed in this competition was especially impressive considering the team had only two weeks to prepare,” said Williams.  “This achievement is one in which our entire community can take pride.”

            The annual competition at Michigan State provides participants an opportunity to perfect their courtroom advocacy skills before judges and practitioners.

 

 
Located in the Homewood suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford enrolls 6,324 students from 44 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford is widely recognized as having one of the most beautiful campuses in America, featuring rolling hills, meticulously maintained grounds and Georgian-Colonial architecture. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and boasts one of the highest scores in the nation for its 97% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.