The Society for Law and Justice team members. Back row, from left, William Fulford, Brandon Wilson, Luke Pavlov, Ben Wycoff, Mandy Huffman, and Ben Absher. Front row, from left, Kristen Deal, Skylar Burton, and Maegan Phillips.
The Society for Law and Justice, Lee University’s mock trial team, placed second at the 2017 Owl Classic Mock Trial Competition, hosted by Kennesaw State University at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School.
“I am absolutely thrilled with our results at the OWL Classic Mock Trial tournament, especially considering that it was the first mock trial tournament for over half of our team,” said Ben Absher, junior political science major and president of the Society for Law and Justice.
Competing against teams from Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and others from Tennessee, Lee’s team finished the competition with a record of 4-0. The group is student-coached and student-administered, while most of its opposing teams are coached by faculty.
Additionally, Luke Pavlov, a freshman theater major and first-time “mocker,” won the “Best Witness” award for his portrayal of a pharmacologist.
After the success at the Owl Classic competition, the team is currently preparing to compete in the Middle Tennessee State University Annual Mid-South Invitational Mock Trial Tournament on Nov. 10-11. Lee’s team received an invitation to compete based on their prior participation in the Mid-South Invitational.
The MTSU invitational is a two-day, four-round tournament and about five times larger than the OWL Classic, according to Mr. Absher. Teams will attend from all over the southeast and the competition will be more challenging than the OWL Classic.
In preparation for the MTSU tournament, Lee’s team is reviewing comments on judges’ ballots from OWL Classic, practicing their objections, and rehearsing witness stories.
“I look forward to seeing how the confidence boost of OWL Classic carries over into ‘confidence in the courtroom’ at MTSU,” said Mr. Absher.
The Owl Classic is hosted by the American Mock Trial Association, a governing body that offers undergraduate students opportunity to compete with teams in trial simulations.
For more information about the AMTA, visit http://www.collegemocktrial.org/.
For more information about Lee’s Mock Trial Team, contact Mr. Absher at babshe00@leeu.edu.