U of A School of Law Students Win Regional Trial Competition, Advance to Nationals in Philadelphia

Harleigh Gathright

Left to Right: Taryn Bewley, Abigail Riddle and Harley Gathright

Taryn Bewley, Harleigh Gathright and Abigail Riddle, students at the U of A School of Law, comprised one of four teams crowned winners of the 2024 American Bar Association Law Student Division National Appellate Advocacy Competition (NAAC) Regional Tournament in Los Angeles, California. Bewley, a third-year student from Conway; Gathright, a second-year student from Huttig; and Riddle, a second-year student from Meadville, Mississippi, advanced to the National Finals scheduled for April 4-6 in Philadelphia.

NAAC is a moot court competition that emphasizes the development of written and oral advocacy skills through a realistic appellate advocacy experience. Competitors participate in a hypothetical appeal to the United States Supreme Court, which involves writing a brief as either petitioner or respondent and then arguing both sides of the case in front of the mock court.

"Moving forward to the national moot court competition with an all-woman team, backed by our incredible women coaches, is such a meaningful achievement," Gathright said. "The incredible abilities of both teams and the invaluable support we gave each other brought us this far, and we're excited to compete again in April."

This year, the School of Law sent two teams to the NAAC regional competition. Bewley, Gathright and Riddle made up one team, and the other was composed of Caitlin Robb, MiKayla Jayroe and Payton Flower. Both teams advanced to the Elite Eight and scored exceptionally high in oral advocacy throughout the competition. Robb, Jayroe and Flower's team received the award for Third Best Brief out of 24 teams. Both teams were coached throughout the tournament by School of Law professors Amanda Hurst (J.D. '06) and Danielle Weatherby. 

The National Finals qualifier consists of six regional competitions held over three weekends and attracts teams from law schools nationwide. The top four teams from each of the regional competitions advance to the final rounds. The success of the U of A team places the U of A School of Law among one of the top 24 law school teams nationally. 

"Professor Weatherby and I were blown away by the talent and dedication of our entire team—we have never had a team work harder, putting in a lot of their own time in addition to our daily practices," Hurst said. "It was an honor for us to take our first all-female team and see them all shine while up against such talented advocates from all over the country.  We look forward to having another opportunity to compete and see the students further hone their already exceptional advocacy skills. We also want to offer a special thanks to our colleagues who helped us prepare for the competition by mooting the team."  

About the University of Arkansas School of Law: The law school offers a competitive J.D. and is home to the nation's first LL.M. program in agriculture and food law. Led by nationally recognized faculty, the school offers students pro bono work, live client clinics, public service fellowships, competitions, and much more. Students also benefit from our location in one of the fastest growing, most livable, and economically vibrant regions in the U.S., and from our corporate externship partnerships with Fortune 500 companies. Our alumni have gone on to become judges, senators, and governors, and we serve communities throughout our state and nation through programs such as the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative. Our longstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion is exemplified by the Six Pioneers, the first Black students to attend law school in the South. Follow us at @uarklaw.