Tradition

Consider the record: 104 national advocacy championships, 15 ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition titles, 4 Scribes National Brief-Writing Awards; 15 trips to the national rounds of the prestigious National Moot Court Competition in the last 17 years (and 3 national championships), 2 national wins at the American Association for Justice (formerly ATLA) Student Trial Advocacy Competition and a national championship in the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. Moreover, South Texas advocates have captured 80 best advocate awards, 93 best brief awards, and 19 state trophies and countless regional crowns.

Others have compared the South Texas Advocacy Program to the 1927 New York Yankees baseball team, the Notre Dame football teams in the 1970s, the UCLA basketball teams under John Wooden and even the Russian hockey teams in the 1960s. The comparisons to some of the most successful sports dynasties in history are certainly flattering. However, each member of those famous teams built or contributed to their team's reputation with opponents, referees and spectators knowing of the connection to the storied program.

In contrast, our law students must compete in moot court and mock trial competitions in absolute anonymity. Competitors may not disclose their law school's identity to the judges and, in many competitions, even to their opponents. Anything that might suggest the law students' home city or state is forbidden. As a result, judges are forced to score based on what competitors do in the courtroom and not based on preconceived notions about the strength of a law school or its advocacy program.

South Texas advocates have built the Advocacy Program's reputation the old-fashioned way, by winning each competition from the podium. And for this unmatched success to continue, future South Texas advocates must do the same—one round at a time. Fortunately though, these law students will prepare for competition with South Texas' exceptional commitment to advocacy training and its extensive network of devoted advocacy alumni. This is truly the secret to South Texas' success