Animal Law Team Gearing Up For A 3-Peat

Back-to-back-to-back championships? “That’s the plan,” says JMLS 2L closing argument competitor Anthony Sam.  The Center for Animal Law studies is hosting its annual Animal Law Competitions at Harvard Law School from February 5-7.  The weekend’s events consist of Moot Court, Closing Argument, and Drafting and Lobbying Competitions, all centered around protecting our beloved non-human companions.  John Marshall has been very successful with the Closing Argument competition for the past two years.  In 2008, then JMLS 3Ls Mike Bauer finished in first place and Tim Reily finished 2nd after eliminating the rest of the field.  As if one first place victory wasn’t enough, in 2009, recent graduates Cheyne Adam and David Lipshutz both managed to take away first place victories, with identical, un-breakable tied scores.  While a repeat of last year’s multiple first place finishes is unlikely, repeating John Marshall’s claim to the title is not; this 2010 team is a force to be reckoned with.  

Donyel Perry, 3L, has a courtroom presence that is undeniable.  When I first heard Don in a courtroom, I thought his captivating demeanor was due solely to his booming voice and his Schwarznegger physique (circa Terminator years, not Governator years), but it’s not.  Perry speaks with empathy so real, so believable, so resonant, that when he speaks, I feel what he is saying.  After only a minute of delivery I am on his side and just accepted every one of Perry’s words as truth.  Perry could tell me Godzilla is walking the Earth and I’d have no choice but to believe him.   

Anthony Sam is an oratorical surgeon.  Methodically, Sam dissects a case piece by piece with such force and logical soundness that I can’t help myself from nodding my head and thinking, “Wow, that makes sense, he is absolutely right.”  By the end of the argument, no questions are left unanswered, and every issue, not just his side’s strengths, but his weaknesses too, have been confronted very directly.  Confronted and conquered.  When Sam is finished, trying to think about why I once felt the other side was right makes me feel very, very silly.  Thank you for the operation, Dr. Sam.  

As an alternate on the team, my job is to try and provide a few small tidbits, some insights, or phrases that these two closing argument giants can incorporate into their already powerful speeches.  I have my work cut out for me.  

Professor Susann MacLachlan is the brains behind the operation.  She is deeply in tune with the Animal Law community.  Our judges at the competition are, not surprisingly, other individuals deeply committed to animal rights.  Having a coach so dedicated to, and knowledgeable about, the world of animal rights is invaluable.  Every practice we learn not only about the world of animal rights and animal welfare, but how to speak effectively about these issues.  Coach MacLachlan’s dedication to animal welfare is absolutely intoxicating.  Her commitment drastically influences our beliefs, and therefore our arguments.  If the motto is “know your audience,” nobody knows this competition’s audience better than Coach MacLachlan:  she is the audience.    

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Negotiation Preview

In less than two short weeks the Negotiation Team from John Marshall will be traveling to compete in the ABA National Competition in Orlando, Florida. After a rigorous competition at University of Illinois, the team of Alex Dimitt and Patricia Ross placed second in regionals. As a result of this hard-earned success the team was invited to compete at the National Competition as one of only twenty-four teams.

The team recently received the new set of facts for this competition that are again concentrating on a labor and employment issue. Alex and Patricia will be representing an employee named April Lafferty. Armed with a few confidential facts of our own, the team will work for the next two weeks learning to spin those facts in our favor and researching possible options for settlement.

John Marshall has received an invitation to the ABA National Competition three times in the past four years. This is something we can all be very proud of. Also, on a personal note, I want to thank my teammate Alex and our coaches Professor Maclachlan, Ian Bucciarelli and Bill Kalbac. You all have worked so hard on this team and I am so proud to be a part of it.  .

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Criminal Law

Students who are are interested in litigation, but are not sure what area of law that they are interested in, can take courses that focus on honing their litigation skills while touching on a number of different areas of practice.  This allows students to get a taste of the different areas of law and what types of litigation skills are necessary or useful for those areas.  Students can also take litigation courses that are geared toward a certain area of law.  Some of the courses that are offered include: Counseling and Negotiation, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Advanced Trial Advocacy, and many others.  Externships are another great way for students to gain client interviewing, counseling and litigation experience in a certain area of law.   

I am interested in criminal law, more specifically criminal prosecution.  I have completed an externship with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in the Felony Trial Division and I still continue to clerk there.  Doing an externship is a great way to get “real life” litigation experience, especially if you have your 711 license, which allows you to practice your advocacy skills in the courtroom.  Students can apply for a 711 license after completing 53 credit hours.  The externship also has a classroom component that presents certain litigation skills and discusses topics specifically related to criminal prosecution. 

I also took Counseling and Negotiation.  This course teaches you the necessary skills for client interviewing, counseling and negotiating, by using “mock problems” based on several different areas of law.  This course is a great way to practice your speaking skills, which is an essential element for an aspiring litigator.    

Both the externship, which focuses specifically on criminal law, and the Counseling and Negotiation course, which focuses on an actual lawyering skill, has helped me to improve my litigation skills and gain more knowledge as to criminal law litigation. There are many other courses available that also focus on litigation skills or specific areas of law.  Both types of classes are great ways for students to improve their litigation skills and also learn more about areas of practice that are of interest .

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 Anna Rehder

Q. Why did you want to become a lawyer?
A. I wanted to work with people, help them if I could.  I failed miserably the first time I took the LSAT so I tried looking for other things to do with my life.  I tried to find something that would fulfill me.  After doing a bunch of different jobs and applying for a bunch of jobs I had no intention of getting, I signed up for an LSAT course and retook it.  I was never going to be able to do what I wanted with my life if I didn’t go to law school.

Q. Since graduating from John Marshall, what have you been doing?
A. While I was studying for the bar in the summer of 2008, I was offered a commission in the Air Force as a Judge Advocate General.  After I took the bar, I waited tables and bartended at Wrigley Field and Soldier Field until I went to Commissioned Officer Training in January of 2009.  Since then I’ve been an assistant staff judge advocate at Grand Forks AFB, ND.  I’m Chief of Civil Law, Legal Assistance, and Claims.

Q. Why did you choose that career path?
A. I actually wanted to work for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office but I was wait-listed.  I had applied to the Air Force more as a back-up.  It seemed like a great job but honestly, I never really thought the military would take me.  I didn’t think I was military material.  I didn’t think my interview went very well either.  But when I got the offer and got wait-listed by the CCSAO, I started asking people about the JAG Corps.  I talked to Professor MacLachlan quite a bit.  She gave me people to contact.  The more I talked to people about it, the more I realized that I could not pass up this opportunity.   One of the best decisions I ever made.

Q. How did you find your job?
A.  It was all about keeping my options open.  I went to every interview I could at JMLS during  on campus interviews.  All the military interviews were informational so anyone who wanted to could sign up.  I did even though I didn’t really think I wanted to do the military. Regardless, I learned as much as I could about the different branches, what a good application package would look like, figured out why I might want the Air Force over every other branch.  All of that was crucial to making myself a good applicant.  All of that was crucial for helping me to know what I wanted to do and how I could do it.

Q. Were you involved with the Trial Advocacy Center here at JMLS?
A. Yes, from the 1L Competition on I did every trial ad class and competition I could at John Marshall.  The first semester of my 2L year, they opened the Board up to us and I was on the Honors Board until the last semester 3L when I couldn’t do any more terms.  I think it’s safe to say trial ad was pretty much my life while I was at JMLS.

Q. Do you feel like being involved helped you in your career?
A. Absolutely.  I think it’s a big part of what got me hired by the Air Force.  They saw that I had leadership and trial advocacy experience.  As the recruiting officer at my base, I stress highlighting that kind of experience for those applying now.  As a JAG you’re expected to learn quickly and be able to handle pretty much anything from day one.  So that kind of experience showed that I would be able to handle that.

Q. Who was your favorite professor here at JMLS?
A. Professor O’Neill  for criminal procedure was brilliant.  I use pretty much everything he taught me on a daily basis.   I never had Sunny as a professor but she guided me and supported me more than anyone at JMLS.  I absolutely would not be doing this job or loving my career as much as I do right now without her.

Q. Is there anything about your law school experience that you would change?
A. The most frustrating thing about law school was that I never won or even placed in a trial ad competition.  If I could somehow go back and make that happen, that’s what I would change.  Told you trial ad was my life!

Q. What advice would you give to law students that are about to graduate?
A. Cast a wide net.  No job is beyond you, beneath you or too good for you.  If you had told me two years ago that I would be wearing a uniform every day to work, I would have assumed you meant I was still working at Wrigley.  The way the market is right now, you have to take chances and be open minded.  Diversifying your experiences will make you a more marketable candidate.

Q. What is your favorite memory from law school?
A. Meeting one of my now closest friends in the bookstore the day before classes started.  Neither of us knew what we were buying or what we were getting ourselves into but when we started talking, I realized I wasn’t the only one freaked out and I could handle this.  There was lots of good stuff after that and I often questioned whether I could really handle law school or being a lawyer (e.g. the night before my Property final or the week before the bar exam) but that moment will always stick out in my mind as a highlight because that’s when I knew that it would be hard, but I would be able to do it. And the 1L Trial Advocacy Program.  It got me going in trial advocacy, introduced me to Professor MacLachlan, and led me down the path of litigation.  It was my first taste of doing an argument, a direct, a cross, all of it.

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 Julia Mezher

Trial Advocacy Honors Board Position: Presiding Barrister

For those of you who have not met Ms. Julia Mezher, I had the privilege of asking her some of the most pressing questions that I know are on all of our minds.  If you’ve never met Julia before you can usually find her in the Trial Advocacy Office in Room 411.  Julia is one of the friendliest, most outgoing, and helpful individuals I know, so if you haven’t had the chance to get to know her, I would recommend stopping in to meet our Presiding Barrister for Spring 2010.

Q. What was your undergraduate degree?
A. I received my degree in Marketing and I earned a minor in Sales.

Q. Why did you want to go to law school?
A. As cliché as it sounds I have always wanted to make an impact on the world and I figured being a lawyer was a way that I could do that.

Q. What's your favorite class?
A. So far my favorite classes have been my trial advocacy classes. I enjoy getting up and actually getting to do trial work.

Q. Who's your favorite professor?
A. There have been so many that it is tough to pick just one.  

Q. What are the trial teams of which you have been a member?
A. I've been on three trial teams prior to this semester. I have been on the Labor and Employment Law team, the Capitol City team, and the Buffalo Niagara team. Currently I am on the Texas Young Lawyer’s Association National Trial Competition.

Q. What would you say is the hardest part of law school?
A. The hardest part of law school is changing your method of thinking and finding your niche.

Q. What is the best part about law school?
A. The best part of law school is the sense of accomplishment achieved when you do things that you never thought possible.  All the hard work really does pay off.

Q. Where is your favorite place to study in the school?
A. There are so many distractions at JMLS so I usually choose to study at home or, if I’m at school, you’ll occasionally find me in the library on Floor 7.

Q. If you could do law school over again, what would you do differently?
A. I would have liked to know more about what to expect, but I believe that everything happens for a reason, so I wouldn't do anything differently.

Q. What can we expect from the Trial Ad Board this semester?
A. The Trial Ad Board this semester is amazing and board members are working hard on some big events. We are all looking forward to the 1L mock trial competition to check out all the new talent that the 1L's have to offer. Another huge event that happens during the spring semester is the Trial Ad Gala where we celebrate the accomplishments of everyone involved in the Trial Ad Honors program.

Q. If you weren't going to be a lawyer what would you do?
A. I would probably end up working in marketing or sales.

Q. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
A. Hopefully working as a prosecutor, healthy and happy!

Q. Looking back on everything you've learned, what would be your advice to 1Ls?
A. Get involved and experience all areas of law before committing yourself to one type of practice. In addition to studying, it is very important to start networking and attending school activities: those situations will get you a job.  Also, take time for yourself every once in a while. It’s important to keep a balanced lifestyle. How has law school changed your life outside of law school?  Law School has definitely shaped me to be the person I am today. I’m still learning to balance the stresses of law school and everyday life. .

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