GSU Mock Trial Makes History

This past weekend, in Columbia, South Carolina, our Mock Trial team became the first in GSU history to advance beyond the American Mock Trial Association’s Regional Tournament and to earn a bid to the national Opening Round Championship Series (ORCS). If they place among the top six teams at next month’s ORCS Tournament in Decatur, GA, then they will advance to the National Championship Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina in April. To put this in perspective, our Mock Trial team has advanced to the equivalent of the NCAA basketball Elite Eight and is now one tournament away from the equivalent of the Final Four.


At the Regional Tournament this past weekend, the team earned the highest point differential of any team at the competition and decisively defeated Mercer University and (perennial powerhouse) University of South Carolina. Furthermore, Joseph Velazquez took home an award for Best Attorney with an impressive score of 17 (out of possible 20).

This accomplishment was no accident. These students have been working diligently since August in preparation for these tournaments and they have been led by two outstanding coaches: attorneys Shawanda Brown and Salvia Smith. And we attracted these talented students after an unprecedented recruiting effort last spring.