The Advocacy Program of South Texas College of Law Houston continued its dominance last weekend, earning its fourth national title in four consecutive weeks — bringing the law school’s total to 146.
“This championship is our fifth national title in this competition season alone — an achievement no other program in the country can claim,” said Professor of Law Rob Galloway, vice president, advocacy, and the W. James Kronzer, Jr., Distinguished Professor of Advocacy. “Our talented students have once again demonstrated why South Texas Law remains a powerhouse in trial and appellate advocacy nationwide.”
Sunday, the team of Major Pirtle, Marc Wynne, Dustin Boyd, and Julia Moore earned the championship title at the 2025 American Association for Justice Student Trial Advocacy Competition in Atlanta.
The win was particularly meaningful because 45 years ago, South Texas Law advocates won their very first national championship at this same competition. “Now, after nearly half a century of excellence, our students have claimed victory once again on the same national stage,” Galloway said.
The road to this championship was challenging and impressive:
- More than 600 law students from 168 different law school teams participated in regional competitions.
- The South Texas Law team triumphed at the Denver regional competition to advance to the finals.
- The team then prevailed through six intense rounds: three preliminaries, quarterfinals, semifinals, and Sunday’s final round.
“I want to extend my deepest gratitude to our dedicated coaches who, despite maintaining full-time law practices, devoted countless evenings and weekends to prepare our students for success,” Galloway said. “Their commitment exemplifies the unwavering support of our faculty and alumni network, who continually give back to develop the next generation of South Texas lawyers.”
Galloway also thanked the internal advocacy team for their tireless dedication to the students and the program.
“These victories are more than just trophies,” Galloway said. “They demonstrate that our students are mastering practical advocacy skills in the classroom and are prepared to represent clients effectively from the moment they graduate. This ‘practice-ready’ approach has been and will remain the cornerstone of a South Texas Law education.”
2025 AAJ Student Trial Advocacy Competition National Championship Team
Atlanta, Georgia
Major Pirtle
Marc Wynne
Julia Moore
Dustin Boyd
National Champion Alumni Coaches:
Ashley Bateman Menage ’14 (Griffith Barbee)
Billy Robinett ’22 (Franzoni, Nelson & Robinett)
Arthuro Garza ’24 (Newton, Jones & McNeeley)
Previous South Texas Law Champions of the AAJ Student Trial Advocacy Competition (formerly known as ATLA)
1980 National Champion – Montreal
Joe Bailey
Catherine Bertrand
Lamar McCorkle
1989 National Champion – Chicago
Sharon McCally
Colleen Barnett
Donald Washington
Che Dawn Williamson
2006 National Champion – Miami
Jennifer Falk
Jennifer O’Brien
Brant Stogner
Gabe Vick
2025 Jerome Prince Memorial Evidence Moot Court Competition
Brooklyn, New York
Sumeyye Islamoglu
Rhianna Wood
Quarterfinalist Alumni Coaches:
Trent Cooper ’21 (Dugas & Cirelli)
Luke Sherley ’24 (Hunton Andrews Kurth)
Original source can be found here.