Who Are All Those Undergrads And What Are They Doing Here?

What they are doing is participating in the 6th annual National Diversity Mock Trial Competition which will consist of 60 undergraduate students. This competition is co-sponsored by the Black Law Students Association, the Latino Law Students Association, the Middle Eastern Law Student Association, and the Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution at The John Marshall Law School. This year there were several regional competitions held in the Midwest, Mid- Atlantic, and Southeast Regional where all teams competed using the same problem. The finalists from those regional competitions, as well as other schools invited by John Marshall will be participating in this two-day competition. The competition consists of four rounds, and the final rounds will be judged by sitting district court judges.  

What do these students receive for their accomplishments? Besides the amazing opportunity of getting actual trial advocacy experience, these students are competing for tuition waivers to our very own law school. The first place teams, as well as the best advocate, will receive a $15,000 tuition waiver, second place teams will receive a $9,000 tuition waiver, third place teams will receive a $3,000 tuition waiver, and fourth place teams will receive $1,500 tuition waivers each. So there will be over $100,000 in tuition waivers given out to potential future John Marshall Advocates.

...by Julia Mezher

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Spring Break Is A Time To Compete.

While most students were sipping a Pina Colada on a white sandy beach somewhere in “Spring Break land” or  just  catching up on some Zzz’, six members of the John Marshall Law School’s Mediation Team were preparing for and competing in the International Academy of Dispute Resolution Mediation tournament next door at the Chicago Bar Association.  

Coached by Adjunct Professor Liz Simon, the team of Meta Brown, Doug Jalaie and Randi Scott finished in 5th place and the team of Jessy Beauvais, David Lifsics and Anthony Sam finished in 7th out of 38 teams.  John Marshall was one of only two schools to achieve as high an overall score for both teams competing in the competition. In addition to overall team awards, Anthony Sam captured one of the Top 5 Best Mediator Awards, and Meta Brown and Randi Scott were ranked as one of the Top 10 Best Attorney/Client Teams.   

Do you want to represent John Marshall? Do you want to compete in tournaments? You might be eligible to try out for this team early in the Fall 2009 Semester, so be on the look out for Nota Bene calendar updates!  

For more information visit http://www.adrpeacemaking.org/tournaments.htm

...by Brandon DeBerry

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If It's Spring, It Must Be The NCJTAC

On April 3rd through 5th, the Nineteenth Annual National Criminal Justice Trial Advocacy Competition sponsored by The John Marshall Law School and by the American Bar Association will be held at JMLS. John Marshall’s very own Professor Ronald Smith is the Director of this competition. This year, nineteen teams from the United States are participating along with a team from The Honorable Society of King’s Inn from Ireland. The problem to be tried is entitled is People v. Dunkirk. In it, Judge Dunkirk is arrested for Driving While Under the Influence on Halloween night in fictitious Marshall City. Four students will compete from each school – two students prosecuting the case and two students defending Judge Dunkirk. The competition consists of three initial rounds, a semi-final round between the four teams with the highest scores, and a final round. Last year’s winning team was Barry University School of Law.

...by Meredith Shane

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  Your Day In Court Is Now.

The 1L Mock Trial Competition is finally upon us.  After months of preparation by the Trial Advocacy Board and weeks of practicing by the 1Ls, everyone’s hard work will finally pay off.  The Board has been flooded with questions from the eager competitors and it’s quite apparent that the 1Ls mean business.  Nearly 50 local attorneys will be present to evaluate the 1L performances.  That’s over 3 evaluators a room – which is great news!  The more feedback the competitors get during the competition, the better trial attorneys John Marshall Law School produces in the legal community.   

...by Jordan Rifkin

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  Judicial Externship Can Help You Succeed. 

The Judicial Externship Program here at John Marshall gives students a unique opportunity to work closely with a state or federal judge.  As a former participant in the Judicial Externship Program, I was assigned to Honorable Judge William Haddad of the Circuit Court of Cook County Law Division and was able to observe and experience all phases of the trial, beginning with pre-trial practices and jury selection to the trial itself.  Through this tremendous experience, I was able to gain great insight into the field of litigation and further develop my legal skills by drafting memoranda and conducting legal research in assisting the judge.  Being able to watch great trial attorneys in action and receiving feedback from the judge on assignments was an experience that will be vital in my own success as an attorney.  Moreover, the externship exposes you to different dispute resolution techniques, such as settlement conferences, that students ordinarily will not have a chance to witness firsthand.  Finally, the importance of ethical duties will be examined as there will be various instances where confidences must be protected, which is a critical responsibility of an attorney.  A chance to partake in the Judicial Externship Program is not to be missed, as it will benefit your legal career in many ways. 

 Q: Why did you go to law school?

A: I went to law school for a few reasons. The first reason is that I was fascinated
         with the way the law reaches every aspect of our lives. I also desired to have a
         set of skills for a profession.  

Q: What was your undergraduate degree in?

A: I graduated with a degree in Communication Mass Media Studies from DePaul.  

Q: Why did you decide to interview for a position on the Trial Advocacy
          Honors Board?

A: I decided to interview because I wanted to be more involved at John Marshall. I
         wanted to get more out of my law school experience as well as give back to the
         school. My position as Council Liasion allows me to help get others involved as
         well.  

Q: What will you be doing after you graduate?

A: After graduation I will be studying for the bar and in January I will begin working
         for Ungaretti and Harris in their Corporate Law Department.  

Q: If you weren’t going to be an attorney, what would you do?

A: I would be a dolphin trainer.  

Q: If you could teach a class in law school, which class would it be?

A: Civil Procedure.  

Q: What are the top three shows that you have on Tivo?

A: Law & Order SUV, Gossip Girl, and 30 Rock  

The Trial Advocacy Honors Board and Council would like to congratulate Gina Virgo on her recent engagement to Brian Pacula! Brian proposed to Gina on March 19, 2008 while the two were in California during Spring Break.

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2 Dog Lovers Walk Into A Faculty Lounge...

(Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, March 16, 2009)

Susann M. MacLachlan just wanted to get into the faculty lounge, collect her mail and sneak out.

But it wasn't one of those days that she got what she wanted.

And that turned out to be a good thing for The John Marshall Law School, as the events that followed led to the school posting back-to-back victories in an annual closing argument competition at Harvard Law School.

click for complete article

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