14 teams from across state competed in Nashville for the honor

NASHVILLE, March 25, 2010 — White Station High School of Memphis claimed its second straight championship this Saturday, defeating St. Mary's Episcopal School in the 30th annual Tennessee State High School Mock Trial Competition. The team now will represent Tennessee at the National High School Mock Trial Competition in Philadelphia May 5-9.

The two-day state competition, which took place Friday and Saturday, involved 14 teams and 200 volunteers, including lawyers, law students and paralegals. Nearly 20 sitting judges in the state presided over the trial rounds at the Metro Davidson County Courthouse in downtown Nashville. Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Janice Holder presided over the championship match Saturday evening.

The teams put their skills to the test arguing the case of Advanced Distribution, LLC v. R.M. Construction, LLC - a fictitious civil case developed by the TBA's Young Lawyers Division, which involved a dispute over design and construction of a 400,000-square-foot distribution center. The central issue at stake was whether the work performed constituted a breach of contract and professional negligence. To reach the state competition, each team had to win its respective district competition last month.

Teams that competed are listed below. Each team named a "Most Valuable Player" who was honored for their contributions to the team's success. They are noted below as well.
1st Place: White Station High School, Memphis -- Sonya Khattak, MVP
2nd Place: St. Mary's Episcopal School, Memphis -- Sri Pulusani, MVP
3rd Place: Brentwood High School, Brentwood -- Keith Edwards, MVP
4th Place: David Lipscomb High School, Nashville -- Blake Stockard, MVP
5th Place: Springfield High School, Springfield -- Jarrett Rausch, MVP
6th Place: Chattanooga SE TN Home Education Assoc. -- Vivian Hughbanks, MVP
7th Place: Hume-Fogg Academic High School, Nashville -- Alex Howard, MVP
8th Place: South Greene High School, Greeneville -- Jordan Tipton, MVP
9th Place: Jefferson County High School, Dandridge -- Tadd Minton, MVP
10th Place: Dyersburg High School, Dyersburg -- Jackson Lay, MVP
11th Place: Knoxville Catholic High School, Knoxville -- Tori Proctor, MVP
12th Place: Tullahoma High School, Tullahoma -- Lisa Dicker, MVP
13th Place: McCallie School, Chattanooga -- Christian Talley, MVP
14th Place: Warren County High School, McMinnville -- Zach Younglove, MVP

Individual awards for best advocate and best witness were given as well. Recipients were:
Best Advocate for the Plaintiff -- Jeanette Baker, White Station High School
Best Advocate for the Defense -- Laine Beard, Brentwood High School
Best Witness for the Plaintiff -- Sarah Heath, David Lipscomb High School
Best Witness for the Defense -- Marck Twarzynski, Knoxville Catholic High School

Finally, the competition's team sportsmanship award was won by Dyersburg High School. That award recognizes the school that best embodies the values of the mock trial experience and demonstrates that commitment through its actions, words and attitudes - not only during trial rounds, but also throughout the competition weekend.

The competition would not be possible without the support of the Tennessee judiciary. The following judges volunteered to preside over trial rounds:

Judge Jon K. Blackwood, Senior Judge, Knoxville
Judge M. Quinn Brandon, Municipal Court of Petersburg
Judge Joe Brown, U.S. Magistrate for the Middle District of Tennessee
Chancellor William C. Cole, 25th Judicial District Chancery Court
Judge Paul B. Conley III, Crockett County General Sessions Court
Judge Jayne Crowley, Meigs County General Sessions Court
Judge Angelita Blackshear Dalton, Davidson County General Sessions Court
Judge John T. Fowlkes Jr., 30th Judicial District Criminal Court
Chief Justice Janice M. Holder, Tennessee Supreme Court
Judge Scott Lovelace, Municipal Court of Gates
Judge Betty T. Moore, Shelby County General Sessions Court
Chancellor Michael W. Moyers, 6th Judicial District Chancery Court
Chancellor Russell T. Perkins, 20th Judicial District Chancery Court
Judge W. Neil Thomas III, 11th Judicial District Circuit Court
Judge Thomas A. Varlan, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tenn.
Judge Terry L. Wood, Municipal Court of Adamsville
Judge Andy Wright, Municipal Court of Mt. Juliet

A complete list of team rankings, award recipients, attorney coaches and photos of the competition are available at the 2010 competition site. Learn more about the high school mock trial program at www.tba.org/mocktrial. Photos of award winners and the top 10 teams are available on request.