2023 Student Trial Advocacy Competition
The Regional Tournaments will be held virtually March 2-5, 2023, and the National Final will be held in person March 30-April 2, 2023.
Welcome to STAC 2023
Each year, AAJ hosts the Student Trial Advocacy Competition (STAC), showcasing top future trial lawyers. This tournament is one of the premier trial advocacy competitions in the country. Regional tournaments are held across the country, and the two winners of each region then compete in the National Finals. The winning team members are awarded a scholarship and invited to join AAJ at its annual convention in July.
The 2023 regional tournaments will be held virtually March 2-5. The National Finals will take place in person March 30-April 2, 2023 with the location to be announced.
STAC 2023 Timeline
- School registration opens: Mid-October 2022
- School registration closes: Mid-November 2022
- Fact pattern released: January 2023
- Student registration opens: January 2023
- Student registration closes: January 31, 2023
- Virtual Regional Tournaments: March 2-5, 2023
- In Person National Finals: March 30-April 2, 2023
Participating in STAC was one of the greatest experiences I had in Law School. Our team had an amazing time traveling to the AAJ National Convention in San Diego and representing Campbell Law while networking with attorneys from across the country. We are proud to be National Champions.
Competition Rules and Procedures
Who can compete?
Each school may use its own method to select its trial team. However, for a student to be eligible, he or she must be enrolled for a J.D. degree and be a law student member of AAJ. Students can join AAJ here.
What is the format of the competition?
AAJ's mock trial cases are always civil cases and tend to deal with products liability, personal injury, or medical malpractice/negligence issues. Teams will be judged on their skills in case preparation, opening statements, use of facts, the examination of lay and expert witnesses, and closing arguments. There will be no written exercise.
How are law schools selected to participate in STAC?
STAC is open to law schools nationwide. Each school may enter up to two teams, with each team consisting of four law students. Each law school that registers for the competition is guaranteed one team.
Requested second teams will be registered on a first-come, first-served basis until all the team spots are filled. Remaining teams will be placed on a waiting list. If spots open due to teams dropping out of the competition, those spots will be offered to the waitlisted teams on a first-come, first-served basis.
Each school registration receives a timestamp which will be used to determine the schools that will be awarded a second team. If a school registers two teams and only one team is offered a place in the competition, the school will receive a refund for the second team after the completion of the competition.
How are regions assigned?
Teams are assigned to regionals by AAJ, no placement requests are accepted. Only the top two teams from each region will advance to the National Finals.
Law student are invited to join AAJ. In addition to being eligible to compete in STAC, law students receive online access to Trial Magazine and AAJ News Brief, are listed in AAJ member directory, and can apply for writing, speaking, and leadership opportunities.
Join TodaySupport the Student Trial Advocacy Competition and volunteer to serve as a judge or juror. More than a thousand AAJ members and other lawyers volunteer each year. It is a fun and easy way to support future trial lawyers. Sign-up and be alerted with judge recruitment begins.
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