Board of Advocates

Are you interested in improving your advocacy skills? Consider becoming involved with the Board of Advocates which hosts on-campus competitions and supports off-campus competitions. Current students should join the BOA's page on . 

Participation in an off-campus competition earns 1.0 hour of academic credit. Participating students are enrolled in the course credit by the registrar's office following tryouts and confirmed commitment to a team. You must satisfactorily participate in all practices and travel to the competition to receive a passing grade. Consult the 51²è¹Ý Law Catalog for the most current information.

51²è¹Ý Law offers a variety of on-campus competitions annually for current students. Opportunities include the Lynn Pinker Moot Court Competition, the Gibson Dunn Top Gun Mock Trial Competition, 1L close, and on-campus negotiations. For more information about these opportunities, contact Chase Rannals, Vice Chair of On-Campus.

The 2024-2025 Student Executive Board for the Board of Advocates:

Alan Cuff, Chair
Easton Wilson, Vice Chair of Administration
Chase Rannals, Vice Chair of On-Campus
Lauren Restino, Vice Chair of Mock Trial 
Ju Zhao, Vice Chair of Moot Court
Luke Bezney, Vice Chair of Hosting
Ashley Watson, Vice Chair of Student Affairs

Tryouts for off-campus competitions are held, generally, each November for Spring teams, and each April for Fall teams. Occasionally, tryouts for additional teams will be held at other times to accommodate invitations to competitions outside the usual timeframe. Check our Tryout Information page regularly for opportunities and more information.

Are you an alum or practicing attorney in the DFW area looking to give back in a meaningful way? The Board of Advocates welcomes your support through sponsorships or your time.

To sponsor an on-campus competition or traveling competition team, please reach out to the Director of Advocacy Programs, Cassie Walker, at cassiewalker@smu.edu. 

To volunteer your time as a judge, please check our Volunteer Information page for open volunteer opportunities!

ADR/Transactional

51²è¹Ý students participate in other competitions with a focus on alternative dispute resolution, including negotiations and arbitration. 51²è¹Ý is also proud to provide an array of transactional competition opportunities for the many students interested in business or transactional law.  

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Mock Trial

51²è¹Ý students participate in several national mock trial competitions every fall and spring. Additionally, 51²è¹Ý hosts an on-campus mock trial competition, called Top Gun, every spring for 2Ls and 3Ls. 

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Moot Court

51²è¹Ý students participate in several national moot court competitions every fall and spring, plus one summer competition. Additionally, 51²è¹Ý hosts the on-campus Lynn Pinker moot court competition every spring for 2Ls and 3Ls.

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On-Campus Competitions

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