Monday, March 23, 2009
Mon, 23 Mar 2009
Liberty University School of Law is proud to announce the success of Charis (Carrie) Mitchell and Ben Walton for their victory at the regional round of the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition in Washington, DC this month.
The team of Mitchell and Walton was one of four teams crowned as Champions for the region, finishing with a top record of 4-1 with wins over Pennsylvania, Oklahoma City, Gonzaga, and South Texas College of Law. With a 2-1 record after the preliminary rounds, Mitchell and Walton advanced to the final 16 and beat Gonzaga, winning the ballots of all four judges on the panel. The team went on to beat South Texas College of Law, the competition’s top-ranked team and a perennial national powerhouse in advocacy competitions, in the final round by winning all ballots from a three-judge panel.
Additionally, Mitchell was declared the second-best oralist in the region while Walton achieved eighth.
With this regional victory, Mitchell and Walton will head to Chicago in April to represent Liberty at the National Finals.
“I couldn’t be more proud of what Carrie and Ben accomplished at the tournament. I knew coming into the tournament that this team had the potential to be champions. We give God all the glory for this triumph,” said Scott Thompson, Director of the Center for Lawyering Skills and Assistant Professor of Law at Liberty.
By virtue of advancing to Chicago, the team will join the other 23 Regional Champions for the National Finals on April 3-5 and are now one of the top 24 moot court teams in the nation.