Campbell University
03/16/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/16/2026 10:54
Campbell Law advocates win National Bayou Challenge Mock Trial Competition
Campbell Law advocates win National Bayou Challenge Mock Trial Competition
March 16, 2026
RALEIGH - Campbell Law School advocates won the National Bayou Challenge Mock Trial Competition held March 13-15 at Louisiana State University law school in Baton Rouge.
The team was made up of second-year law students Aidan Connor, Caitlin Heidel, Steven Downs and Courtney Rea.
"Heidel was also named Best Overall Oralist and Connor won the award for Best Cross Examination," said the team's coach Rene Shekmer, who also serves as the director of the law school's Competitive Advocacy Program. The team was also coached by Professor Chris Cox, who serves as director of advocacy for the law school.
The National Bayou Challenge Mock Trial Competition is one of the few national mock trial competitions that feature a criminal case. The Bayou Challenge is a four-round mock trial competition where teams of four students present a full criminal case under the Federal Rules of Evidence. Students serve as both advocates and witnesses.
All rounds of the competition will be held at the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center and at the 19th Judicial District Court.
Fourteen law schools from across the country traveled to Baton Rouge to compete. This year's case was a federal criminal trial involving allegations that the defendant attempted to import and sell some of the French crown jewels stolen in the famous Louvre heist.
"In Louisiana, we have a word - lagniappe (pronounced "lan-yap") - which means "a little something extra." The Bayou Challenge embodies that spirit: an extra competition, delivered with the fun and hospitality of Louisiana," LSU Law's website states.
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Since its founding in 1976, Campbell Law has developed lawyers who possess moral conviction, social compassion, and professional competence, and who view the law as a calling to serve others. Among its accolades, the school has been recognized by the American Bar Association (ABA) as having the nation's top Professionalism Program and by the American Academy of Trial Lawyers for having the nation's best Trial Advocacy Program. Campbell Law boasts more than 5,000 alumni, who make their home in nearly all 50 states and beyond. In 2026, Campbell Law is celebrating 50 years of graduating legal leaders and 17 years of being located in a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of North Carolina's Capital City.
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