Board of Advocates

Participation in an off-campus competition earns 1.0 hour of academic credit. After team tryouts, invited students will be notified of their offer to participate in a team. Once the offer is accepted, the registrar's office will add the "Advocacy Competition" course to your course schedule. You must satisfactorily participate in all practices and travel to the competition to receive a passing grade. Consult the SMU Law Catalog for the most current information. If you are no longer eligible for pass/fail courses, or do not wish to receive credit for your competition participation, email the Director of Advocacy Programs to withdraw from the course. The usual drop/add deadlines apply.

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

SMU 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.

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

ADR & Transactional

SMU students participate in other competitions with a focus on alternative dispute resolution, including negotiations and arbitration. SMU 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

SMU students participate in several national mock trial competitions every fall and spring. 

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Moot Court

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

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On-Campus Competitions

On-campus competitions are an excellent opportunity to practice your advocacy skills in a friendly environment with your classmates. Many on-campus competitions require much less preparation than off-campus teams and are short, one-day events.

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