Omid's journey with speech and debate began at Lanier Middle School and continued through Debakey High School and the University of Houston. What started as a fun afterschool activity quickly evolved into a lifelong passion that ultimately shaped his decision to pursue a legal career. Through his involvement with HUDL, Omid is committed to ensuring that students from all backgrounds have access to the same transformative experiences that debate provided him.

A lifelong speech and debate competitor, Alishan graduated from Duke University School of Law in 2020 and the University of Texas at Austin in 2017. In high school at Plano East Senior High, he competed in Original Oratory, Public Forum Debate, and Extemporaneous Speaking; at UT Austin, he was part of the two-time national championship Speech and Individual Events team and a six-time national finalist at the American Forensics Association national tournament in Extemporaneous, Persuasive, and Impromptu Speaking. He has also coached at multiple summer camps in extemporaneous speaking and original oratory and is committed to expanding access to speech and debate opportunities for students in the local community.

Nick's debate journey began in Student Congress at Hightower High School and went through his time at Vanderbilt University, where he transitioned to policy debate. While in law school, Nick served as an assistant debate coach at the Houston Academy of International Studies and with the University of Houston. Nick now puts the same skills he learned in debate to use every day as a litigation partner. He lives in Sugar Land with his wife and three daughters.

Connor focuses on complex commercial trials. While Connor's advocacy is now channeled through the courtroom, his passion for zealous representation was ignited in part by his prior experience with speech and debate. Connor competed in forensics and other advocacy-oriented channels at nearly every stage of his education, from National Junior Forensics League events at the middle school level through the Ames Moot Court Competition at Harvard Law School. In forensics, Connor has particular experience with Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Impromptu Speaking, and After-Dinner Speaking.

Kay debated in Lincoln-Douglas for Hockaday and has coached for the Texas Debate Collective and College Prep (Oakland). She is now an Assistant Attorney General with the Office of the Attorney General of Texas. Go HUDL; beat DUDA!

Deeply engaged in both professional and community service, Trevor serves on the boards of the Federal Bar Association's Southern District of Texas Chapter, the Houston Young Lawyers Association, and the Houston Young Lawyers Foundation, where he chairs the foundation's Adopt-an-Angel program supporting more than 3,600 children in underserved communities each year. He also contributes to the State Bar of Texas as an advisory member of the Texas Bar Journal Board of Editors Committee. Through these roles, Trevor is committed to strengthening the legal community and expanding service opportunities that positively impact the broader Houston area.

Derick has been involved in the debate community within Houston for the past 19 years, where he was involved in all forms of debate. After a brief stint in the Midwest, Derick returned back to Houston, where he works with his family.

Luke practices management-side labor & employment law, handling litigation and appellate matters in both federal and state courts as well as advice and counsel matters for local and national clients. Luke has been involved with speech and debate for more than 25 years. While attending Tivy High School in Kerrville, Texas, Luke competed in numerous speech, debate, and mock trial activities, but he primarily focused on cross-examination debate. Luke continued on this path during college at Trinity University in San Antonio, twice qualifying for and competing in the National Debate Tournament in 2005 and 2006. Luke subsequently coached the Trinity squad for one year before attending law school at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Since then, Luke has worked as a volunteer coach and judge for various high-school programs, and he has enjoyed judging debate events in the area since moving to Houston in 2016.

Although Chuck's practice now focuses on complex commercial disputes, his prior experience in Lincoln Douglas speech and debate in high school initially sparked his interest in the resolution of dispute through argument. Chuck's involvement in the community goes beyond the courtroom, and includes mentoring aspiring attorneys through the Houston Young Lawyers Association's Pre-Law Committee and prior experience with Lawyers 4 Literacy. He is a member of Texas Appleseed's Emerging Leaders Council and a Fellow with the Houston Bar Foundation.

A partner who focuses on high stakes litigation and serves in both trial and appellate roles, Mary Kate credits her comfort in the courtroom to the years she spent competing and coaching speech and debate. Mary Kate was a high school national finalist in poetry interpretation and then competed for the University of Texas at Austin, where she had a number of national outrounds in public address events. After finishing her undergraduate degree, Mary Kate served as a high school mathematics teacher and debate coach in San Antonio ISD. Then, during law school, Mary Kate returned to the UT speech team and coached both public address and interpretation events.