UNC School of Law’s Black Law Students Association (BLSA) first-year trial team competed at the 2012 Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition in Nashville, Tenn., in early February. Students Samera Beshir, J. Alex Marshall, Mary McDonald and Britney Peguese competed with 29 teams from across the Southeast. Third-year coaches LaTesha Campbell, Jeremy Collins, Ashley Payne and Vince Walton led the team at the event.
The Mock Trial Team advanced to the second round of the competition, which highlighted them as one of the top twelve teams in the event. Team member Mary McDonald earned the Best Overall Advocate award.
The UNC BLSA chapter won the A.J. Cooper Small Division Chapter of the Year for the Southern Region. This award is given to the chapter that enhances community activism and social awareness throughout the Southern Region. The team will now compete at the national level for the Small Division BLSA Chapter of the Year award in March.
-February 18, 2013