As early as her 1L year at Syracuse University College of Law, Allison Carlos ’23 (MAX/VPA), L’25, was drawn to the College’s Advocacy Program and trial competitions. What began as a desire to strengthen her litigation skills quickly evolved into something far more meaningful —a strong group of colleagues, alumni, and mentors who helped shape her development as an advocate, guided her to summer externships, and ultimately supported her path to securing her first job as a litigator after graduating this past December.
“The Syracuse alumni network is strong,” says Carlos, noting that after she competed in the Hancock Estabrook First Year Oral Advocacy Competition as a 1L, Hon. Thérèse Wiley Dancks L’91, chief U.S. magistrate judge for the Northern District of New York, saw her skills in action and offered her a summer externship in 2024.
She was also fortunate to work for another alumna in the Fall of 2025 when she accepted a judicial externship with Hon. Deborah H. Karalunas L’82, which gave her additional exposure to advocacy in the courtroom, while also providing invaluable insight into the perspective of a trial judge.
Trial Competitions Expand Syracuse Law Network
While her internships gave her valuable experience, and her coursework stressed the necessary skills to become an outstanding litigator, including writing, oral arguments, and trial procedures, it was her participation in trial competitions that really put her knowledge to the test, often in front of actual judges. This gave her the ability to fine tune these skills in Syracuse Law’s state-of-the-art courtroom facilities and across the country under the watchful eye of dedicated faculty, coaches, mentors, and other legal professionals. According to Carlos, she was fortunate to interact with many well-respected lawyers and judges—many alumni—eager to help share their experience and offer real-world opportunities to students.
Carlos competed in several mock trial advocacy competitions as a member of the Syracuse Law Travis H.D. Lewin Advocacy Honor Society (AHS). AHS holds five internal competitions each year and sends teams to compete in intercollegiate competitions across the country—some in-person and other virtual—against top students from other law schools. In preparation for these highly competitive events, students often work closely with Syracuse Law Advocacy Fellows, a slate of alumni who devote an exceptional amount of their time to give team members a competitive edge.
One such competition was the American Association for Justice (AJJ) with the team of Carlos, Brandon Bryant L’25, Jonathan Newsome L’25, and Matt Reimann L’26 at the Student Trial Advocacy Competition in March 2025. Her team—coached by Joanne Van Dyke L’87, director of trial competition teams, and Andrew Umazor L’24—won the regional competition in Philadelphia, to the national finals in Atlanta.
Carlos is especially grateful for the preparation she received from Van Dyke, noting “I am continually in awe of Coach Van Dyke’s unwavering dedication to the Advocacy Team and the passion and commitment she brings to developing us into confident, effective advocates.”
Carlos’s consistent, exceptional performance and passion for advocacy helped her earn a spot on the College’s highly competitive National Trial League team in 2025. She was fortunate to be mentored by advocacy fellow Kaylin S. Grey L’06, a partner at the Miami defense litigation firm of Wilson Elser. Much of the mentoring took place virtually due to the distance, but according to Carlos, Grey was an excellent mentor who gave pertinent advice, helped her emphasize her strengths, address areas for growth, and thoroughly prepare her for competition.
While Carlos appreciated having such a committed mentor, Grey, in turn, was so impressed by Carlos’s talents that she helped her secure an internship at Wilson Elser for the summer of 2025.
“Having Kaylin as a mentor for the National Trial League was incredibly valuable and being able to continue learning from her and her colleagues through my internship was extraordinary,” says Carlos. “After seeing me in action on the Trial Team, she was eager to challenge me and provide hands-on litigation experiences that students and even incoming associates rarely receive. The combination of her mentorship and the internship was truly incredible.”
Awards and Rewards for Competition Skills
Carlos’s participation in the National Trial League competition really helped define her law school career. She was “honored and deeply humbled” to receive the 2025 National Trial League MVP (Best Advocate) Award based on the skills she demonstrated during the competition.
“Throughout the semester-long National Trial League, Allison exhibited advocacy skills on par with the best students in the country,” says Professor of Law Todd Berger, director of the Syracuse Law Advocacy Program. “Her diligence, preparation, and ability to translate work into effective advocacy made it no surprise that she earned the MVP honor.”
In addition, Carlos received the Lee S. Michael L’67 Advocate of the Year Award and scholarship in 2025, through an endowed award presented annually by Syracuse Law thanks to the generosity of Michael.
Moving Forward and Giving Back
Already the owner and operator of Roadside Warriors, LLC, one of the largest towing companies in Watertown, New York, she will soon be relocating to Miami after receiving a full-time job offer from Wilson Elser. This single mom of three young children will continue to operate her towing company remotely, while also taking on a full-time job as a civil defense litigator working in areas like complex commercial litigation and business counseling, general and premises liability, maritime and real estate litigation.
“Syracuse Law’s Advocacy Program and trial competitions truly brought out the best in me and gave me invaluable, real-world experience, along with an incredible network of mentors and peers. I’m excited to carry this strong foundation with me as I begin my legal career,” says Carlos. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of Syracuse faculty, alumni, and the advocacy community, and I fully intend to pay it forward by mentoring future Syracuse Law students.”
In 2025, Syracuse University College of Law was named the No. 8 trial advocacy program in the country by U.S. News & World Report. See here for more information on the program.