Campbell Law’s Competitive Advocacy Program kicks off fall competition season

Third-year Campbell Law School students Brandon Minella and William Sparks proudly represented the law school in San Francisco, California, at the National Flash Trial Competition on Sept. 7-10, 2023.  

The National Flash Trial Competition is hosted by Berkeley Law School and comes with an interesting hook: teams are given a separate problem for each round shortly before they must try the case. Minella and Sparks tried four cases in two days with as little as 45 minutes to prep each case. The cases involved a contracts dispute, confederating with pirates, intentional and grossly negligent criminal conduct, and civil negligence.  

 “I am incredibly proud of both Brandon and Will,” explains Mary Ann Matney ’17, director of Campbell Law’s Competitive Advocacy Program, who was the team’s coach. “They endured extreme pressure and went up against highly skilled teams. That alone was a test of their skills, but when you add in little time to prepare, they rose to the challenge. They tried each of their cases effectively and zealously.”  

Minella and Sparks faced off against the University of South Carolina School of Law, Baylor University School of Law, University of Denver Sturm College of Law and University of Maryland Law School. 

Campbell Law’s Competitive Advocacy Program consistently ranks as one of the top in the nation. Learn more at this link.