Posted on February 23, 2004 at 4:25 p.m.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Mock Trial team won first place at the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) Southeast Regional Competition held recently at Samford University. It is the first time a UAB team has been awarded a first place finish in a regional competition. The team will compete in the National Championship Tournament April 2-4 in Des Moines, Iowa.

Team members include Lucy Jones of Huntsville, Tom Duley of Southside, Elizabeth Blair of Headland, David Tuffs of Washington, D.C., Erin Abelson of Birmingham, Tia Hyche of Jasper, Arthur Daye of Birmingham, Delisa Chasteen of Hoover and Laureen Jenkins of Hoover.

A second UAB team finished in eighth place and has qualified to compete at the National Tournament in Richmond, Ky., March 12-14. The team members are Allison Monk of North Jefferson County, Kim Black of Adamsville, Byron Shelton of Birmingham, Jennifer Herring of Hueytown, Amanda Kling of Cullman, Brian Roche of North Vernon, Ind., Adrienne Tyson of Southside, Chuck Godwin of Florence and Dorothy Faulk of Birmingham.

Jones and Monk both received Best Attorney awards. Black was named Best Witness.

“We could not be more proud of this fine group of UAB students who have demonstrated their acumen in intellectual competition at the highest level,” said Tennant McWilliams, Ph.D., dean of the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences. “Competing against colleges and universities from all over the Southeast, they have represented this university with great distinction as they prove themselves worthy of advancing on to compete at the national level.”

The Mock Trial team is administered through the Department of Justice Sciences’ Pre-Law Program. The team has been invited to compete nationally in seven of the last eight years. For more information about UAB’s Pre-Law Program go to www.uab.edu/cas/justice-sciences/the-pre-law-program.