Published on May 20, 2025 by Morgan Black
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John West, a recent graduate of Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law, has been named an Academic All-American Trial Advocate by the National Association of Legal Advocacy Educators (NALAE), a national association of professors, directors and coaches in trial advocacy, moot court and alternative dispute resolution.
Through the award, the NALAE recognizes law students who demonstrate academic achievement and competition success, and who embody the highest standards of professionalism, skill and service in legal advocacy. West is one of just 20 law students nationwide to be named an inaugural recipient of the award.
With a cumulative GPA well above average and service as an editor on the Cumberland Law Review, West exemplifies academic excellence. He also distinguished himself in advocacy competitions, participating in 10 interschool competitions—set to be 11 later this month with the prestigious Top Gun competition. Over the course of his law school career, West earned two championship titles, was a finalist in two other competitions, and advanced to semifinal and quarterfinal rounds. His teams received additional honors such as Best Direct, Best Close and six professionalism awards across seven eligible competitions.
Beyond the courtroom, West served as chief judge of Cumberland’s Trial Advocacy Board, mentoring first- and second-year students and playing a key leadership role in the school’s nationally recognized advocacy program.
“I am honored to be named an Academic All-American Trial Advocate,” West said. “I am incredibly grateful for my teammates, coaches and the Cumberland Trial Advocacy program. Our program continues to prepare students for the real world, and I am thankful to have been a part of it.”
Judge Jim Roberts, JD ’94, director of Cumberland’s national trial teams, praised West’s wide-ranging impact both in and out of the courtroom.
“John West represents the best of our trial advocacy program at Cumberland,” Roberts said. “He is an excellent student who has had tremendous academic success, a selfless servant who has mentored and guided others through their law school careers, and a dedicated, hardworking, and talented advocate who has represented our school with dignity, grace, and the utmost professionalism. Out of a possible seven professionalism awards given in competitions in which John has competed, his teams have won the award six times in addition to their numerous tournament wins and top finishes. We say that Cumberland is where good people become great lawyers. John is a great person who is becoming an exceptional lawyer. It has been my great honor to coach, teach and mentor John these past two years and I am thrilled he has received national recognition for his accomplishments.”
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.
