Stetson Wins Chester Bedell Trial Competition for 22nd Time in 34 Years

    GULFPORT, FL, February 02, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Stetson University College of Law has won the Chester Bedell Trial Competition for the 22nd time in 34 years. Stetson sent two teams to the premier state competition, who both advanced to compete against each other in the final round. Twenty teams of students from 10 law schools across the state of Florida competed.

The Stetson team of Colby Connell, Kaitly Dugas, Joseph Sise and Skylar Stewart beat the Stetson team of Ethan Dunn, Courtney Olivier, Alexis Petrosino and Carolina Suazo in the final round of competition on Jan. 28 in Jacksonville, Florida. Petrosino was named Best Advocate.

"The Bedell Trial Competition requires superior substantive knowledge, flawless presentation skills, and the utmost professional demeanor," said Professor of Excellence in Trial Advocacy Charles Rose, who directs Stetson's advocacy center.

Both Stetson teams received multiple perfect scores from the competition judges for advocacy and professionalism in the preliminary rounds.

"For us in the Center for Excellence in Advocacy, a victory validates how each and every one of us here at Stetson prepares our students to become members of the profession," said Professor Rose. "Stetson has one of the best simulated experiential learning platforms to be found in the trial advocacy world, and our students, because of the hard work of our faculty and coaches, are masters in this arena."

Stetson's teams were coached by the Assistant Director of the Center for Excellence in Advocacy Erika McArdle J.D. '12, and Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Laura Rose J.D. '12.

The Chester Bedell Trial Competition is sponsored by the Trial Lawyers Section of the Florida Bar.

Stetson teams have won five international competitions, 68 national championships, 75 regional championships, 44 state championships, 55 brief awards, 141 best oralist/best advocate awards and five professionalism awards since 1980. Visit www.stetson.edu/advocacy to learn more about advocacy at Stetson.

About Stetson University College of Law
Stetson University College of Law, Florida's first law school, has prepared lawyers and leaders since 1900. Today, Stetson leads the nation in blending legal doctrine with practical training, evidenced by its top-ranked programs in advocacy and legal writing. Through our academically rigorous curriculum and commitment to social responsibility, Stetson lawyers are ethical advocates ready to succeed in the legal profession.

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