10/22/2026
At South Texas Law last week, student Ashley Kinyon won the Garland R. Walker Memorial Mock Trial Competition and the $5,000 scholarship that comes with the championship. Ross Reichardt finished as runner-up and received a $2,500 scholarship.
Both scholarships were generously donated by Benny Agosto, Jr. ’95. a member of the board of directors and generous supporter of the law school.
To reach the final, Ashley and Ross advanced through four demanding rounds over two weeks against a field of exceptional advocates. They then tried the championship round before an outstanding panel: Benny Agosto, Jr. ’95, Ben Agosto III ’18, Caroline Luetge ’22, Spencer Speed ’17, Dax Faubus ’98, and Ahad Khan.
The competition honors Dean Garland Walker, who joined the South Texas Law faculty in 1967 and served as dean from 1968 to 1984. Dean Walker believed that practical, rigorous legal training should be within reach of anyone with the drive to pursue it. He acted on that belief by helping establish the Advocacy Program and by adding evening and weekend programs, opening the door for working adults who refused to choose between a career and a legal education.
The Walker Competition carries that legacy forward, and it reflects what we are about: training lawyers to be ready for any courtroom.
Congratulations to Ashley and Ross, to semifinalists Anna Brown and Tiffany Neufeld, to quarterfinalists Heather Hudson, Hunter Brown, Kayla Molina, and Madyson Wells — and to all our student advocates who keep raising the bar at South Texas Law.
