EATS 2024
Educating Advocacy Teachers Conference
Advancing Advocacy Teaching Through Collaboration, Innovation and Technology
June 10 - 12, 2024
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 2024 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 2024 Conference, we will celebrate the recipients of the Annual Advocacy Writing Competition Award, Edward D. Ohlbaum Professionalism Award, and Lifetime Achievement Award. EATS is an interactive conference and we are planning EATS 2024 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.
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View the 2023 Conference Agenda
View the 2023 Speaker Bios Below
Speakers
Tim Adams
Director of Mock Trial
Adjunct Professor
Texas Southern University
Thurgood Marshall School of Law
Houston, TX
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
Hardy Professorship
St. Mary's University School of Law
San Antonio, TX
Elizabeth Berenguer
Associate Professor of Law
Co-Director of the Institute for the Advancement of Legal Communication Director of Online Legal Education Strategies
Stetson University College of Law
Gulfport, FL
Todd Berger
Professor of Law
Director, Advocacy Programs
Director, Philadelphia Externship Program
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
Assistant Professor of Law
Stetson University College of Law
Gulfport, FL
Paige Boorman
Senior Assistant District Attorney, DeKalb County District Attorney's Office
Professor
Head Coach, Georgia State University College of Law Student Trial Lawyers Association
Atlanta, GA
Marian Braccia
Director of the LL.M. in Trial Advocacy Program
Practice Professor of Law
Temple University Beasley School of Law
Philadelphia, PA
Jeff Brooks
Assistant Professor of Professional Practice Faculty Director of the Law Center’s Field Placement Program
Faculty Director of Moot Court, Mock Trial, and Alternative Dispute Resolution
Lousiana State University Law Center
Baton Rouge, LA
Megan Chaney
Co-Director, Criminal Justice Field Placement Clinic
Professor of Law
Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad College of Law
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Ashley Krenelka Chase
Assistant Professor of Law
Stetson University College of Law
Gulfport, FL
Elizabeth Cooke
Clinic Professor in Trial Advocacy
The Ohio State University
Columbus, OH
Jennifer Copland
Associate Clinical Professor of Law
Director, Appellate Moot Court Program
Michigan State University College of Law
East Lansing, MI
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
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
Louis Fasulo
Partner, Fasulo, Braverman, and DiMaggio; Professor of Practice and Director of Advocacy, Moot Court and Client Counseling
Pace Law School
White Plains, NY
Mike Golden
Lecturer and Director of Advocacy
University of Texas School of Law
Austin, TX
Dominique Hinson
Director of Appellate Advocacy
Adjunct Law Professor
South Texas College of Law
Houston, TX
Brian Hughes
Head Mock Trial Coach
Adjunct Professor of Trial Advocacy
St. John’s University College of Law
Queens, NY
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.
Ashley Hymel
Chair-elect, Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA)
National Trial Competition (NTC) Executive Committee Advisor
Houston, TX
Alicia Jackson
Assistant Professor of Law
Director of Academic Success and Bar Preparation
Stetson University College of Law
Gulfport, FL
Joe Lester
Associate Director of Trial Advocacy
University of Georgia School of Law
Athens, GA
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
Rhani Lott Choi
Education Director
National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA)
Boulder, CO
Denitsa Mavrova Heinrich
Rodney & Betty Webb Associate Professor of Law
Director, Lawyering Skills & Trial Advocacy Programs
University of North Dakota, College of Law
Grand Forks, ND
Gabriel Mendoza
Adjunct Professor of Trial Advocacy
Polestino Trial Advocacy Institute
St. John’s University College of Law
Queens, NY
Marcus Mitchell
Associate, Garriott|Maurer
Adjunct Professor
Regent University School of Law
Virginia Beach, VA
Kelly Navarro
Director of Trial Advocacy and Dispute Resolution Programs
The UIC John Marshall Law School
Chicago, IL
Spencer Pahlke
Shareholder at Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger
Lecturer and Director of Trial Advocacy
UC Berkeley School of Law
Berkeley, CA
Philip Pasquarello
Trial Competition Director, Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law
Trial Attorney at Kline & Specter, PC
Philadelphia, PA
Vicki Peters
Assistant United States Attorney, retired
Adjunct Professor of Trial Advocacy
University of Illinois-Chicago School of Law
Chicago, IL
Katie Powers
Assistant Dean of Advocacy
Mercer Law School
Macon, GA
Brandon Prescott
Executive Director of Development & Alumni Engagement
Stetson University College of Law
Gulfport, FL
David Raack
Professor of Law
Faculty Advisor to Moot Court
Ohio Northern University College of Law
Ada, OH
Jennifer Rafter
Associate Director of Membership
American Association of Justice (AAJ)
Washington, D.C.
Reza Rezvani
Associate 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
Kaelyn Romey
Visiting Professor of Tax Law
University of San Francisco School of Law
Adjunct Professor of Trial Advocacy & Evidence
UC Hastings College of Law
John Marshall Atlanta School of Law
Santa Clara University 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 Rost
Senior Instructor of Lawyering Skills
Director of the Center for Lawyering Skills
Liberty University School of Law
Lynchburg, VA
David Schott
Professor of the Practice of Law
Director, The Center for Advocacy
University of Denver Sturm College of Law
Denver, CO
Adam Shlahet
Director
Brendan Moore Trial Advocacy Center
Fordham University School of Law
New York City, NY
Gwen Stern
Director of the Trial Advocacy Program; Professor of Law
Drexel University
Thomas R. Kline School of Law
Philadelphia, PA
Dan Tilly
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Law
Campbell University Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law
Buies Creek, NC
Michael "Jay" VanDerZee
Director of Trial Teams and Professor of Practice
Stetson University College of Law
Gulfport, FL
Stephanie Vaughn
Professor of Law
Stetson University College of Law
Gulfport, FL
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
Jamie Pukl-Werbel
Associate Professor
Director of Experiential Learning
Seton Hall University School of Law
Newark, NJ
Matt Woodham
Assistant Professor of Law
Interim Director of Advocacy
Cumberland School of Law
Birmingham, AL
Davis G. Yee
Special Trial Attorney, Office of Chief Counsel for the IRS
Adjunct Professor, University of San Francisco School of Law
San Francisco, CA
Award Nominations
Thank you for your nominations for the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Edward D. Ohlbaum Professionalism Award. The deadline to submit these two nominations was April 1, 2023.
Awards
Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Teaching Advocacy
This award is presented to recognize those who have fundamentally changed the way in which the world approaches the teaching of advocacy. The recipient has demonstrated a distinct commitment and dedication to improving teaching methodology in the area of advocacy and advancing the standard of excellence.
Edward D. Ohlbaum Professionalism Award
This award was created to pay forward the dedication and commitment our good friend Professor Edward Ohlbaum displayed, throughout his career, to the ethical teaching of an entire generation of advocates. The purpose of this award is to honor an individual whose life, teaching, and coaching display sterling character and unquestioned integrity, coupled with ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the legal profession and the rule of law.
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
Stetson University College of Law will apply for CLE in Florida. 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.