Merritt Civil Rights Fellowship
Mock Trial CLE July 14, 2026
A full-day CLE built around a live §1983 mock trial, argued by the next generation of civil rights advocates, coached by the lawyers who try these cases every day, presided over by a trial judge, and decided by an 8-person community jury seated from a 20-member pool drawn from across Dallas. The day closes with the Advocates’ Dinner that evening.
Hosted by S. Lee Merritt, Esq. and Merritt Law Firm
THREE WAYS TO TAKE PART
One trial, One courtroom. Pick the seats that fits.Â
WHY THIS CLE IS DIFFERENT
One trial, One courtroom. Pick the seat that fits.
A Real Civil Rights Trial: Williams v. Mason and the City of Bristol
Accredited by the State Bar of Texas
Course Number: 174327411
Sponsor of Record: Merritt Law Firm, LLC
Total MCLE Credit: 6.75 hours (5.75 substantive + 1.00 ethics)
Format: In-person, live participatory
A real §1983 fact pattern, argued from openings through closing
– not a panel, not a slideshow.
Eight Fellows from the 2026 cohort arguing the case, bracketed live by working civil-rights trial lawyers.
A 8-person community jury – civic engagement built into the
format, not bolted on.
A live ethics hour anchored to the actual conduct you just watched in the well – where advocacy ends and impropriety begins.
THE FACULTY
A working faculty of practicing civil rights litigators, a sitting judge, and a law school clinical director.
DEMONSTRATIVE ATTORNEYS
Hosted by S. Lee Merritt, Esq. and Merritt Law Firm.
Presented in partnership with the 2026 Merritt Civil Rights Fellowship, the paid summer fellowship whose eight Fellows argue this case as advocates of record.
Demonstrative attorneys handling openings, cross-examinations, and closings. The 2026 Fellows, who argued the same case in the closed student rounds the week prior, second-chair the demonstrative attorneys at counsel table and are honored at the Advocates’ Dinner that evening:
ATTORNEYS
A full day of substantive CLE credit watching trial advocacy the way it should be taught – in the well of the courtroom, with real stakes, real coaching, and a real verdict from the community. The day concludes with the Advocates’ Dinner that evening – your chance to break bread with the faculty, the 2026 Fellows, and the civil rights bar.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
Attorneys licensed in other states may self-apply for reciprocity through their home bar. Pennsylvania CLE filing available upon request- please indicate at registration.
| CREDIT TYPE | HOURS | |
| Texas MCLE - Substantive | 5.75 | |
| Texas MCLE - Ethics | 1.00 | |
| Total Texas MCLE credit | 6.75 |
THE DAY AT A GLANCE – TUESDAY, JULY 14
| Doors & CLE check-in & continental breakfast | 8:30 to 9:00 AM | |
| Welcome and program orientation | 9:00 to 9:51 AM | |
| Plaintiff's case-in-chief (with 10:15 AM break) | 9:15 AM to 12:30 PM | |
| Lunch | 12:30-1:30 PM | |
| Defense case-in-chief and closing arguments | 1:30 to 3:15 PM | |
| Break | 3:15 to 3:30 PM | |
| Ethics Hour: The Civil Rights Litigator's Ethical Obligations (1.00 ethics credit) | 3:30 to 4:30 PM | |
| Jury deliberation, verdict, and bench commentary | 4:30 to 5:30 PM | |
| Adjourn; post-trial reception | 5:30 PM | |
| Advocates' Dinner (combo-ticket holders and sponsors) | 6:00 PM |
Combo-ticket holders & sponsors join the Advocates’ Dinner- keynote by S. Lee Merritt; Fellowship stipend awards presented from the podium.
COMMUNITY
This trial belongs to the community as much as it belongs to the bar. You don’t need a law degree to take a seat in the gallery and watch civil rights advocacy at the highest level — argued by the next generation of trial lawyers, decided by a jury drawn from your own neighborhoods. Stay through the evening for the Advocates’ Dinner, where Lee Merritt delivers the keynote and the 2026 Fellows close the program.
No CLE credit for community tickets — all attendees still receive course materials and full access to the trial day.
SPONSORS
The 2026 Fellowship seats an 8-person community jury seated from a 20-member pool drawn from across Dallas. The jurors sit through the full trial, deliberate live in front of the bar, and deliver a verdict. The civic-engagement track of the Fellowship, voter registration, know-your-rights education, community briefings — runs through this jury as much as through the classroom.
For attorneys watching the trial: you’re not watching a moot. You’re watching a verdict.
VENUE
106 S. Harwood St.
Dallas, TX 75201
CANCELLATION & REFUNDS
| Full refund | through June 19, 2026 | |
| 50% refund | June 20 - July 6, 2026 | |
| No refunds | after July 6, 2026 |
Registrations after July 6 are non-refundable but fully transferable to another attendee.
ABOUT THE HOST
A paid summer fellowship for law students committed to civil rights advocacy. The 2026 cohort — eight Fellows — spent the summer embedded in active civil rights litigation at Merritt Law Firm. The July 14 mock trial is the culmination of their work, and the bar’s chance to see what the next generation of civil rights lawyers can do.
Proceeds support the 2027 Fellowship cohort.  Questions? [email protected]
Yes. Texas MCLE attendance is reported electronically to the State Bar of Texas within 10 business days of the program under course number 174327411. Out-of-state attorneys receive a Uniform Certificate of Attendance for self-application through their home bar. Pennsylvania attorneys: a companion
Pennsylvania CLE filing is available at no additional cost; please indicate at registration and provide your PA Attorney ID.
This is an in-person-only event. The trial is recorded for educational and donor-stewardship purposes; recordings are not available for CLE credit.
No. The mock trial uses a closed, public-record §1983 case selected by the 2026 Fellows. No client-confidential information is presented or implicated.
An 8-person community jury seated from a 20-member pool drawn from across Dallas.
They sit through the full trial and deliberate live during the program. Interested in serving in a future year? Email [email protected].
Yes – see the Sponsor a Table above, or email [email protected].
Yes – they should register through the Attend as a Guest.
