The University of Wyoming finished in third place and was the only school to have two teams win on the defense side of cases during a recent regional student trial advocacy competition in Seattle, Wash.
Eight third-year students from the UW College of Law competed in the American Association for Justice regional Student Trial Advocacy Competition (STAC). The STAC is held in 14 regions across the country with more 100 law schools participating. Each team comprises four students, who perform as lawyers and witnesses in a civil case tried before a panel of practicing lawyers or judges.
Wyoming chose its representatives during last fall's intra-school competition sponsored by the Casper law firm Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP.
Members of UW's first team were third-year law students Jody Haskins of Highlands Ranch, Colo., Megan Holbrook of Cheyenne, Alicia Kisling of Pine Bluffs and Carrie Shaw of Rock Springs. This team won the intra-school competition.
Members of the second team were third-year students Kristen Barton of Cheyenne, Clayton Kainer of Laramie, Ryan Podlesnik of Kemmerer and Andy Sears of Midwest.
The Seattle region hosted 16 teams, from Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Wasington, Colorado and Wyoming. The first round consisted of three full trials, and each team had to try both the plaintiff's and defense side of the case.
Barton, Kainer, Podlesnik and Sears lost their first two trials by split-decisions and then swept their final round when trying the defense case.
Haskins, Holbrook, Kisling and Shaw finished in third place overall. In their first and third rounds, the team swept the judges' votes. During the semifinal round, they represented the defense and lost by one point in a split-decision.
Professor Robert Southard mentored the teams and has been working with them for the past few months.
Posted on Thursday, March 12, 2009
