For release: March 28, 2011
For press information, contact Gabrielle Maxey, 901/678-2843

For the first time, a team from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law has won a national mock trial competition. The U of M won the Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial tournament, which took place in Houston during the U of M’s spring break. The contest is sponsored by the National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA).

The U of M squad achieved its triumph by defeating teams from Harvard, Texas Wesleyan, DePaul, Seattle, and St. Mary’s.

Team members were LaChina Algers, Angela Harris, Chandra Madison, and Joseph McKinney. They were coached by Melanie Stovall Murry, associate counsel for the U of M, and Bridgett Stigger, a recent U of M law graduate and former team member.

The top three teams from each of the six NBLSA regions competed for the national title.

The members and coaches of the U of M team that won the Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial completion are, from left, Bridgett Stigger (coach), LaChina Algers, Chandra Madison, Joseph McKinney, Angela Harris, and Melanie Stovall Murry (coach). All are from Memphis except Madison, who is from Alton, Illinois.

“I’m thrilled for the Thurgood Marshall team and their coaches,” said Barbara Kritchevsky, director of advocacy. “It is great to have our first national mock trial title and first national title in quite a while.”

Murry added, “I’m very proud of the students. They worked extremely hard, and their victory was well deserved.”

In a mock trial, teams conduct a simulated trial based on a set problem, calling witnesses and addressing the jury. Students must be prepared to argue for the prosecution or the defense.