Published on February 24, 2025 by Morgan Black
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In February, Samford University Cumberland School of Law’s National Moot Court Team traveled to San Francisco to compete in one of six regional competitions of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) National Appellate Advocacy Competition (NAAC). Cumberland’s team won the San Francisco regional, advancing to the national competition in Chicago in April.
The national moot court competition emphasizes the development of oral advocacy skills through role-playing, providing a realistic appellate advocacy experience. Competitors write a brief and then argue a hypothetical case before a mock United States Supreme Court. This year’s competition problem raised two questions regarding the constitutionality of a school district policy requiring canine drug sniffs of students at middle and high schools: (1) whether the canine sniffs of students were searches under the 4th Amendment and (2) whether the school district's policy was reasonable under the Special Needs Doctrine.
Out of 26 competition teams, Cumberland’s team of second-year student Justin Martin and third-year students John Koo and Hannah Wood competed against students from Drake University Law School, Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law, the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law, and the University of California Law, San Francisco. The Cumberland team won all three ballots in the semifinal round and four out of five in the final round. Koo was named the 8th-best advocate and Martin won 10th-best advocate.
Cumberland School of Law alumni Charlie Shah, JD ’96, Emily Hopper, JD ’19, and Anna Saunders Knouse, JD ’19, coached the team.
“Our success at this competition was truly a team effort. These students are invested, hard-working and incredibly talented. Cumberland’s Moot Court program has a bright future ahead. Nationals, here we come!" Hopper said.
Cumberland School of Law’s advocacy programs are nationally recognized for excellence: 6th for Trial Advocacy by U.S. News & World Report (2024), 3rd in the Gavel Rankings for fall 2024, 4th in the Trial Competition Performance Rankings for 2023-24 (3rd overall since 2016), and 8th in the top ABA law school competition teams in arbitration, negotiation, client counseling, mediation and appellate advocacy (2024).
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks with the second highest score in the nation for its 98% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.
