EATS 2025
Educating Advocacy Teachers Conference
Advancing Advocacy Teaching Through Collaboration, Innovation and Technology
June 9-11, 2025
The Educating Advocacy Teachers (EATS) Conference has been hosted by Stetson Law for almost two decades and is well-known in the Advocacy community as being a truly dynamic and collaborative experience. The unique conference invites educators from around the country to share their experiences, while facilitating the exploration of new teaching techniques and technology in this specialized area. The 2025 conference will be comprised of various panels, workshops, and breakout sessions that promote small-group discussion and interaction based on trending topics identified by the trial advocacy community.
EATS is also a celebration of achievement in advocacy teaching. At the 2025 Conference, we will celebrate the recipients of the Annual Advocacy Writing Competition Award, Edward D. Ohlbaum "The Eddie" Award, and Lifetime Achievement Award.
EATS is an interactive conference and we are planning EATS 2025 as an in-person experience; however, we want to facilitate those who need to attend remotely. All sessions will be recorded, and some sessions will be live-streamed for online participants to watch in real time.
Speakers
Joanna Perini-Abbott
Director of the Lewis & Clark Advocacy Center
Professor of Practice
Lewis & Clark Law School
Portland, OR
Tim Adams
Director of Advocacy
Adjunct Professor
Texas Southern University
Thurgood Marshall School of Law
Houston, TX
Lisa A. Bauer
Assistant Dean of Career Services
University of Buffalo School of Law
Buffalo, NY
Brett H. Bayne
Attorney with MGC Insurance Defense
Trial Advocacy Adjunct, Director & Head Coach of Mock Trial
University of South Carolina School of Law
Columbia, SC
A.J. Bellido de Luna
Assistant Dean for Advocacy & Conflict Resolution
Hardy Service Professor of Law
St. Mary's University School of Law
San Antonio, TX
Todd Berger
Professor of Law
Director of Advocacy Programs
Syracuse University, College of Law
Syracuse, NY
Justin Bernstein
Director of A. Barry Cappello Program in Trial Advocacy
Lecturer in Law
UCLA School of Law
Los Angeles, CA
Elizabeth I. Boals
Director, Center for Excellence in Advocacy
Associate Professor of Law
Stetson University College of Law
Gulfport, FL
Paige Boorman
Senior Assistant District Attorney
DeKalb County, GA
Marian Braccia
Director of the LLM in Trial Advocacy Program
Practice Professor of Law
Temple University Beasley School of Law
Philadelphia, PA
Jack Burke
Senior Teaching Fellow
School of Law, CityUHK
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Amy Catledge
Ruth Law Team - Florida
Adjunct Professor, Stetson University College of Law
Suzanne Chapman
Director of Trial Advocacy
Visiting Professor
Charleston School of Law
Charleston, SC
Carlos Concepcion
Adjunct Professor of Law
Stetson University College of Law
Gulfport, FL
Megan Daic
Owner/Attorney, Daic Law
Director of ADR Competition Program
University of Houston Law Center
Houston, TX
Kate Donoghue
Associate Director, Center for Excellence in Advocacy
Adjunct Professor
Advocacy Skills Trainer
Stetson University College of Law
Gulfport, FL
Brandon Draper
Assistant Professor of Law and the Director of Experiential Learning
Texas Southern University
Thurgood Marshall School of Law
Houston, TX
Jules Epstein
Professor of Law
Director of Advocacy Programs
Temple University Beasley School of Law
Philadelphia, PA
Lou Fasulo
Partner at Fasulo, Braverman and DiMaggio
Professor of Practice and Director of the Advocacy, Moot Court and Client Counseling Programs
Pace Law School
White Plains, NY
Taylor Freeman Peshehonoff
Director of Competitions and Externships, Assistant Professor of Legal Practice
The University of Oklahoma School of Law
Norman, OK
Veronica Finkelstein
Associate Professor of Law
Wilmington School of Law
Wilmington, DE
Marlee Galvez
Assistant District Attorney in the Child Abuse Bureau for the New York County District Attorney's Office
Adjunct Professor of Trial Advocacy at St. John's University School of Law
New York, NY
Benjamin Garmoe
Director of Trial Advocacy, National Trial Team
University of Maryland, Carey School of Law
Baltimore, MD
Tony Ghiotto
Director of Anderson Center for Advocacy and Professionalism
Directory of Trial Advocacy
Teaching Assistant Professor of Law
University of Illinois College of Law
Champaign, IL
Mike Golden
Lecturer and Director of Advocacy
University of Texas School of Law
Austin, TX
Marsha Griggs
Professor of Law
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, MO
Dominique Hinson
Director of Appellate Advocacy
Adjunct Law Professor
South Texas College of Law
Houston, TX
The Honorable Adam Hunter
Rental Housing Commission
Adjunct Professor/Coach, Huver I. Brown Trial Advocacy Moot Court Team
Howard University School of Law
Washington D.C.
Stephanie Johnson
Associate Director of the Stephen S. Weinstein Advocacy Program
American University
Washington, DC
Joshua Jones
Director, Bartlit Center for Trial Advocacy
Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
Evanston, IL
Elizabeth Lippy
Practice Professor of Law
Director of the Trial Advocacy Program
Temple University Beasley School of Law
Philadelphia, PA
Robert Little
Director of Advocacy Programs
Lecturer
Baylor University, Sheila & Walter Umphrey Law Center
Waco, TX
Adrienne Mebane
Interim Director, Dan K. Webb Center for Advocacy
Loyola University School of Law
Chicago, IL
Ashley Menage
Adjunct Professor
South Texas College of Law
Houston, TX
Keith V. Morgan
Adjunct Professor
University of the District of Columbia
Katie Powers
Assistant Dean of Advocacy
Mercer Law School
Macon, GA
Reza Rezvani
Director of Trial Advocacy
Associate Professor of Law, Legal Practice
University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law
Sacramento, CA
The Honorable Jim Roberts
Circuit Court Judge
Sixth Judicial Circuit
Tuscaloosa, AL
Head of National Trial Teams
Samford University
Cumberland School of Law
Jared Rosenblatt
Bureau Chief, Homicide Bureau
Director Forensic Science/Cold Case Prosecutions at Nassau County District Attorney
Adjunct Professor
Maurice A. Deane School of Law
at Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY
Grant M. Rost
Associate Professor of Law
Liberty University School of Law
Lynchburg, VA
Carson Sadro
Associate Director of the Center for Excellence in Advocacy
Stetson University College of Law
Gulfport, FL
Brandi Sanchez
Senior Director, Community Investments
Community Foundation
Tampa Bay, FL
Alexandria Serra
Advocacy Teaching Fellow
University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law
Kansas City, MO
Jennifer Scharf
Director of Trial Advocacy and Associate Dean for Career Services
University at Buffalo School of Law., Buffalo, NY
David Schott
Professor of the Practice of Law
Director, The Center for Advocacy
Sturm College of Law
Denver, CO
Adam Shlahet
Director
Brendan Moore Trial Advocacy Center
Fordham University School of Law
New York City, NY
Kris Vicencio
Manager of Evening Student & Advocacy Success
Adjunct Professor
University of Baltimore Law
Baltimore, MD
The Honorable Christine Weems
Judge of the 281st Civil Judicial District Court
Houston, Texas
Director of the National Mock Trial Team
University of Houston Law Center
Arlissa Williams Jennings
Associate Attorney
Tolson Law Firm
Atlanta, GA
Awards
Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Teaching Advocacy
This award recognizes individuals for their exceptional contributions and lasting positive impact on how the art and science of advocacy is taught. The award acknowledges sustained high-quality work and significant accomplishments throughout a lifetime of dedicated service, as well as demonstrated commitment and continuous effort to improve advocacy education. Through a lifetime of leadership, they have inspired others in the advocacy community and have served as role models for future generations of trial lawyers.
Edward D. Ohlbaum ("The Eddie") Award
This award was created to pay forward the dedication and commitment that our friend Professor Edward Ohlbaum displayed throughout his career of coaching, training, and teaching an entire generation of advocates. The purpose of this award is to honor a relatively new coach or teacher who has displayed dedication to continuing Professor Ohlbaum’s legacy of training competent and well-rounded advocates. Special consideration will be given to those who display the highest standards of professionalism and the rule of law in their teaching.
Cornerstone Award
The award recognizes transformative members of the advocacy community who work to pioneer unique learning opportunities across the profession. The recipients of the Cornerstone Award are recognized for their unwavering commitment to protecting the right to trial by jury, developing innovative advocacy skills training opportunities, and/or contributing to the success of others within the advocacy community. Because this award celebrates the members of our community whose contributions are novel or may be based on a singular and distinct initiative, it is not offered annually.
What Participants Have Said About Our Conference
"Anyone interested in teaching advocates should try this out. It's important to protecting our profession and developing it along the path it needs to travel. EATS is really that important. It's been an eye-opener for me, reconnecting with the trial advocacy community. I'm going to be encouraging a number of people at my school to attend in the future."
"It's the only opportunity I've ever seen to get together with other people who do what you do and love it. We all just want to get better. Collaborating with these people creates new ideas that make you a better version of the teacher you already are."
"EATS is in the vanguard of the legal profession. It teaches law professors to look to the future and to share all their work with other law professors. It's gaining in strength and popularity year to year and is an example of what every law school needs.”
"It was great to network with teachers and coaches in the trial advocacy community in an environment, like this, that doesn't involve competition or anything formal. The free exchange of ideas was invigorating and already changed the way I coach mock trial teams.”
CLE Information
The EATS Conference has been approved for 20 hours of General credit and 2 hours of Technology credit for Continuing Legal Education (CLE) by The Florida Bar. Additionally, we will provide attendees with a certificate of attendance and a packet of materials so that you may apply for CLE in states other than Florida. Generally, Stetson University College of Law does not pay the application fee for CLE applications in states other than Florida. However, if your state requires a sponsor to file on behalf of the attorney, we may offer to seek accreditation in that state upon your request. While we cannot guarantee we will file in those states, we will do our best to accommodate requests of that nature.
Vendors
We will continue our practice of inviting vendors to update you on the latest developments in advocacy-related products and teaching materials.