South Texas Law advocates Jacob Manley and Memona Niazi won the law school’s 142nd national championship last weekend at the inaugural First Chair Trial Competition, hosted by the University of San Diego School of Law and Hofstra University’s Maurice A. Deane School of Law.
They were coached by alumni Elleana Poulis ’23 and Billy Robinett ’22. Congrats to this talented team, to the coaches, and to the nationally-ranked Advocacy Program — led by Rob Galloway, Vice President of Advocacy, Professor of Law, and W. James Kronzer, Jr., Distinguished Professor of Advocacy.
In the recent competition, each advocate tried an entire civil case solo – motions, opening, direct, cross, and closing – and each was guaranteed three trials. Teams had a little more than two weeks to prepare the case.
Ten teams from across the country competed: California Western School of Law, STCL Houston, UC Berkeley School of Law, UCLA School of Law, University of Denver Sturm College of Law, University of Houston Law Center, University of Illinois College of Law, University of Maryland, Francis King Carey School of Law, University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, and the University of San Diego School of Law.
