FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Birmingham, AL – White Arnold &
Dowd P.C. is pleased to announce that Cumberland School of Law trial teams
coached by firm attorneys have won their respective regional tournaments and
will now proceed to compete at the national level. Multiple firm attorneys, including Lisha L. Graham,
W. Chambers Waller, IV, Curtis H. Seal, and Craig A. Shirley, are veterans of
Cumberland’s nationally-ranked trial team program. Each credits the program for helping develop
their courtroom skills and ensure they were prepared to enter the firm’s busy
trial practice. They have volunteered time
since their respective graduations from Cumberland to serve as coaches and
otherwise support the program.
Seal, who serves as a coach for the
trial team competing in in the Student Trial Advocacy Competition hosted by the
American Association of Justice, was a team member the last time Cumberland
advanced to the regional finals of the competition in 2017. Two Cumberland
teams competed in the AAJ regional competition this year, meeting each other in
the final round. Seal shared, “Cumberland
prides itself on a reputation of being one of the best trial advocacy programs
in the country. Maintaining that reputation meant getting back to the winner’s
circle of this regional competition, which was well overdue.” Seal’s team
compiled a 5-0 record during the competition, defeating teams from Tulane
School of Law, Mississippi College School of Law, University of Wisconsin
School of Law, and St. Thomas University School of Law. Cumberland will be one
of sixteen law schools from across the country to compete in the AAJ national
competition in April. More information about the AAJ competition and win can be
found here.
Shirley coaches Cumberland’s
National Trial Competition team this year, which swept Region 8 and earned a
berth in the national competition. Like
Seal, Shirley is no stranger to trial team success, as he was a member of the
National Trial Team that won the 2017 National Civil Trial Competition in Los
Angeles. While this year’s team had the
additional challenge of virtual competition, Shirley and his fellow coaches led
the team to continued success: Cumberland has advanced 15 teams to the national
level of the NTC in the last 13 years. This year’s team of second-year students
defeated teams from the University of Mississippi School of Law, the University
of Memphis Humphrey School of Law, Northern Kentucky University Chase School of
Law, and Faulkner University Jones School of Law to earn the opportunity to
compete at the national competition in April.
More information about the NTC victory can be found here.
The coaching and training that
students receive through participating in Cumberland’s trial program uniquely
prepares students for the practice of law in ways the classroom alone cannot. Seal
observed, “we do not teach and train students how to be good at mock trial. As
coaches, our focus is on students becoming good lawyers and the best version of
themselves. Cumberland’s mock trial success flows naturally from there.”
About White Arnold & Dowd P.C.: From high-profile litigation to mediation and private
disputes, the attorneys at AV-rated White Arnold & Dowd P.C. excel at
finding creative strategies to minimize disruptions and help our clients keep
moving forward in business and in life. We have a plan for the unplanned. For
more information, visit www.whitearnolddowd.com.
Contact:
Kitty Rogers Brown
205-323-1888
[email protected]
