STCL Houston Students Win Unrivaled 130th National Advocacy Championship, 21st National Scribes Award in Single Week
South Texas College of Law Houston (STCL Houston) students earned two preeminent national honors last week alone – further establishing the 95-year-old law school as the best advocacy school in the nation and among the country’s most preeminent legal research and writing schools.
Advocacy:
Students Anthony Osso, Emma Short, and Sarah Wedgeworth remained undefeated throughout the 31st Annual Judge August R. Rendigs National Products Liability Moot Court Competition, sponsored by the University of Cincinnati College of Law, before besting William & Mary Law School in the final round. The student team also took home the “Best Petitioner Brief” award.
With this victory, the students earned STCL Houston’s unrivaled 130th national advocacy championship.
No other law school in the country can claim half as many wins.
In fact – of the nearly 200 law schools included in the 2017-2018 National Moot Court Rankings, as established by the Blakely Advocacy Institute at the University of Houston Law Center – South Texas College of Law Houston is ranked No. 1 in appellate advocacy.
Also, U.S. News & World Report ranked STCL Houston among the “Top Ten for Trial Advocacy” in its latest law school rankings released last week.
“I am always proud of the hard work and dedication of our South Texas advocates,” said T. Gerald Treece, vice president, associate dean, and director of the STCL Houston Advocacy program. “It’s especially fulfilling when our student advocates not only learn how to shine in the courtroom, but also receive national recognition for their excellence in advocacy.”
Legal Research and Writing:
Notably, a separate team of STCL Houston advocates – including Lani Durio, Hayley Hervieux, and Ximena Kuri – also earned national recognition over the past week for submitting the second-place Best Brief award in the prestigious American Society of Legal Writers’ Scribes competition – the most respected legal writing competition in the nation. The annual Scribes award is granted based on a review of all the Best Brief awards distributed at moot court competitions across the country in an academic year.
To date, STCL Houston has won 21 Scribes awards, including five first-place “Best Brief” awards, which is more than any other law school in the nation.