Published on April 14, 2025 by Morgan Black
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Three students from Samford University Cumberland School of Law participated in the American Bar Association’s National Appellate Advocacy competition in Chicago in April. The team of Justin Martin, John Koo and Hannah Wood, who competed in the national round after winning the San Francisco regional tournament, finished among the top eight teams in the nation and brought home two Best Advocate awards.
The event featured 24 law school teams from across the country who responded to a problem regarding the constitutionality of a school district policy requiring canine drug sniffs of middle and high school students. As a team, the students had to argue whether the canine sniffs of students were searches under the 4th Amendment, and whether the school district's policy was reasonable under the Special Needs Doctrine.
Of the 24 teams and all the student advocates, Martin was recognized as the 5th best advocate and Koo was recognized as the 10th best advocate in the country. Wood wrote the team's brief, which placed in the top half of the entire competition.
The team was coached by Charlie Shah, JD ’96; Anna Saunders Knouse, JD ’19; and Emily Hopper, JD ’19.
"Cumberland should be extremely proud of John, Justin and Hannah,” Shah said. “They represented the school at the highest level. Their results are a testament not only to their skills, but also to months of devoted preparation.”
"Placing among the top eight law schools in the nation is an incredible feat,” Hopper said. “We have been so proud to coach these talented advocates and watch them shine on the national stage.”
Cumberland’s advocacy programs are nationally recognized for excellence: No. 4 for Trial Advocacy by U.S. News & World Report (2025), No. 3 in the Gavel Rankings for fall 2024, No. 4 in the Trial Competition Performance Rankings for 2023-24 (third overall since 2016), and No. 8 for ABA law school competition teams in arbitration, negotiation, client counseling, mediation and appellate advocacy (2024).
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks with the second highest score in the nation for its 98% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.
