Welcome Back

The Trial Advocacy and Dispute Resolution Honors Board welcomes you back to what we know is going to be another year of great success. Our Honors Board and Council have a number of new and exciting opportunities for you to become involved with. Some of the highlights this fall include welcoming more than 50 new and returning council members to our Honors Council, a new Trial Advocacy and Dispute Resolution Honors Board and Council SharePoint site for students and hosting the ABA Negotiation Competition this fall.

Our office has been revitalized over the last semester. Feel free to stop in to 411 and take a look around.  We have expanded the office to accommodate 14 Council and Board Members at one time, new signage in and around our office, upgraded furniture and enhanced work stations. With the expansion of our Council and initiatives our office has expanded hours, staying open until 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays to accommodate the evening student population.

There are a few new faces to our Trial Advocacy Honors Board; we are pleased to welcome six new Associate Barristers, Jamila Ahmed, Andie Crivolio, Glen Curran, Vince Deligio, Barry Kanarek, and Jeannie LaBarbara. We also have retained a couple of old faces; Steve Tschiggfrie and I, serve as Vice Barrister and Presiding Barrister.

Special congratulations to Professor Sunny MacLachlan who became our new Director of the Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution this summer.  

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No matter the path you choose in developing your legal career, effective skills in all aspects of conflict resolution are at the center of your success. To that end, the Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution is your partner in strengthening those skills through its curriculum, special programs, events, mock trial and dispute resolution competitions, and the Trial Advocacy and Dispute Resolution Honors Board and Council.

This edition of Nota Bene highlights  those special programs conducted over the summer devised to strengthen skills in evidence and conflict resolution, as well as provide an introduction to Basic Trial Advocacy. Programs such as these are valuable tools for students in that they supplement what you learn in the classroom by way of application to real-world situations. To help you make the most of all the Center has to offer you, we introduce you to the Center staff and the role each plays in helping you launch your career in law.

Clinical Professor Susann MacLachlan is the Director of the Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution. Professor MacLachlan oversees the development of curriculum and programming produced by the Center. In addition, Prof. MacLachlan is the Director of the Externship program, a program designed to provide students with the opportunity to work under the direct supervision of a licensed attorney or judge while earning course credit. In addition, Prof. MacLachlan's teaches the Animal Law and co-teaches the Transnational Legal Negotiations courses in the Spring.

Gary Watson is the Assistant Center Director. Mr. Watson assists the Director in implementing and providing operational management of the programs and services conducted by the Center. In addition, he functions as "creative director" producing many of the marketing and promotional materials used by the Center from competition team posters to this newsletter.

Adjunct Professor Lance Northcutt is the Assistant Director of Trial Advocacy for the Center. Mr. Northcutt teaching assignments are in Trial Advocacy courses. He coaches mock trial competition teams, assists the Director in program development for advocacy, teaches special Center programs, and annually teaches the Comparative Trial Advocacy course including its overseas component in Ireland.

Adjunct Professor Elizabeth Simon is the Assistant Director of ADR for the Center. Ms. Simon's teaching assignments are in ADR courses. She coaches the mediation competition teams, assists the Director in program development for conflict resolution, participates in special programs developed by the Center, and assists the JMLS student organization - the ADR Society. 

Alex Dimitt, JD '10, member of the semi-finalist team in the 2010 ABA Law Student Division National Negotiation Competition, has returned to the Center on a part-time basis to assist the law school in hosting the ABA Law Student Division Regional Negotiation Competition at JMLS in November.

Each member of the Center staff is focused on providing service and assistance to the John Marshall student in order to maximize the benefits that come from participation in the Center's curriculum and programs. Feel free to stop by any members' office for information and answers to questions you might have. We want involvement with the Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution to be an active part of your law school experience.

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Professionalism and the Modern Advocate

Beginning September 8th, 2010, The John Marshall Law School presents The Justice Anne Burke Professionalism Series and will feature leading members of the bench and bar who will come to John Marshall to discuss various topics related to professionalism over a series of four lunchtime sessions with students.
 
Going beyond the focus of a traditional ethics course, this series of panel discussions incorporates a “street level” view of how professionalism necessarily affects lawyer’s effectiveness in and out of the courtroom.  Students will be afforded an opportunity to gain valuable insight into how their conduct as lawyers not only ensures their professional survival, but can actually become a catalyst for success.  Topics include, “The Role of the Professional Lawyer Beyond the Model Rules,” “Appearance, Dress and Demeanor,” “Starting Your Own Practice,” and “Navigating the Agencies of the Illinois Legal System.”
 
In addition to Justice Burke, scheduled guests for the four-week program include Judge William Maddox, Presiding Judge of the Law Division, Judge John Darrah of United States District Court, Justice Michael Gallagher of the Illinois Appellate Court, Justice Margaret Frossard of the Illinois Appellate Court and distinguished trial attorney Antonio Romanucci among others.
 
The dates for the program are September 8th, September 22nd, October 13th and November 3rd at noon.

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Arbitration and Trial Teams Tryout, Fall 2010

This week, the Center for Trial Advocacy and Dispute Resolution oversaw completion of the fall 2010 arbitration and mock trial team tryouts. The honors board and faculty administrators would like to thank the sixty plus participants for the considerable thought and preparation given to the problem. The problem featured a love triangle that resulted in a violent confrontation. The participant-advocates were set to the task of peeling back the ill-defined layers of emotional ambiguity inherent in such a scenario, and presenting a version of the story in a way that sought to clarify the sometimes unavoidable chaos of human relationships.

The coaches and administrators are in turn set to their own task of selecting a small number of students to represent John Marshall in the realm of interscholastic competition. The criteria for selection often changes from semester to semester, depending on the nature of the competitions that John Marshall will attend. This semester, The Center for Trial Advocacy and Dispute Resolution is honored to send student-advocates to arbitration and trial team competitions in New York, Michigan, D.C., and Chicago. The problems for these competitions are scheduled to be released at the beginning of September. For the first time, problems will be made available to Honors Council members during office hours in an attempt to broaden school participation in competitions, and also to assist teams in understanding the complex perspectives often infused within a fact pattern. Members will be asked to offer and record critical and constructive commentary on issues presented by the problems. This work will be typed out and uploaded to a network accessible to the individual team members and coaches.

The selection of teams will be announced shortly. After selection, teams will embark upon a several months’ journey of writing, analyzing, arguing, practicing, drinking coffee, and sleeping with a copy of The Federal Rules of Evidence under the pillow. Competitors will sharpen their skills to the highest individual levels currently attainable, and enter the courtroom to meet the competition. The results of this semester’s competitions will be, undoubtedly, yet another example of the skill-building process that exists at the nexus between a motivated student body and a knowledgeable administration. This semester John Marshall will be returning to Buffalo, New York to defend its hard earned title: 2009 national champions. 

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Evidence Boot Camp

In late August, about 20 of John Marshall's most eager students showed up at the Daley Center from 6-9, Monday through Friday to get some free knowledge about the world of evidence.  Professor Lance Northcutt and Judge Clare McWilliams ran the Evidence Boot Camp this summer and gave students a quick but thorough understanding of the world of evidence.  The two ran the students through some of the key federal rules of evidence.  The professors not only taught the students how to apply the rules in their practice, but also shared war stories of how they’ve used each rule in the past.

Some students use the boot camp for a quick overview before beginning their evidence classes in the fall.  Others use it for a quick brush up in between semesters. Some of the interested students also attended the Introduction to Trial Advocacy Workshop as well.  We look forward to holding the same program next year.

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Conflict Resolution Camp

There was no better way to get a head start this semester than to have attended Conflict Resolution Camp.  The program was open to any and all students who wished to learn more about alternative dispute resolution (ADR), learn about the team competitions, or considered conflict resolution as a career path.  The Conflict Resolution Camp was both an introduction to and practical application of essential skills every student needs to develop in order to effectively represent a client.

Clinical Professor Susann MacLachlan began the program with an introduction into the educational aspects of the ADR program with an overview of how ADR skills can be developed on the different dispute resolution teams.  Anthony Sam, Presiding Barrister of the Trial Advocacy and Dispute Resolution Honors Board, spoke about the opportunities of being on council and the different responsibilities the come with being on a competition team.

Barry Kanarek, Associate Barrister and ADR Team Manager, explained what a great opportunity it is for students to develop and hone their skills outside the classroom and how much fun it is to compete on a team.  Erika Hamer, President of the ADR Society, made a cameo appearance and shared what will be happening this fall with the ADR Society and how to become an active member.

The competition simulation portion of the event was a big hit.  We simulated a competition setting for mediation, client counseling, arbitration, and negotiation.  This allowed the students to see what a competition is like and what different skills they will develop through participation on a team, as well as, an understanding of the tactical application of ADR skills in real-world settings.  Professor Elizabeth Simon provided insight into mediation and arbitration and explained how valuable these skills are. She pointed out that there are firms today that look for these skills because arbitration and mediation do not have the heavy cost and time consumption of litigation.

Conflict Resolution Camp was educational, inspiring, and a lot fun!  Thank you to all the council members involved who helped make the program a success.  Everyone did a great job!  

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Introduction to Trial Advocacy Workshop Review

This summer the top 5 teams from last semesters 1L Mock Trial Competition had the opportunity to attend the Introduction to Trial Advocacy Workshop.   It took place on August 9-13th.  This workshop was previously known as the "Pilot Program" and is a requirement for trying out for trial teams for students that had not taken Trial Advocacy yet and had also placed in the 1L Competition. This year the workshop was open to all students who had yeat to take Basic Trial Advocacy and were interested in an overview before taking the course.

The workshop was taught by Adjunct Professor Lance Northcutt and the Honorable Thomas Byrne, Circuit Court of Cook County. Mr. Northcutt is the Trial Advocacy Assistant Director for the Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution and one of the coaches for the mock trial competition teams. Judge Byrne is also an adjunct professor at John Marshall.

In the workshop, the students received a fact pattern and began to prepare a trial during the week. They were introduced to the techniques in developing opening statements, direct and cross-examinations, objections, and closing arguments. This workshop was an excellent way for the students to get a firm grasp on trial techniques before they begin Trial Advocacy and join trial teams.

The program was beneficial to any student interested in quickly developing advocacy skills. A great benefit of the program was that the students were able to gain a head start and walk away with a strong understanding of what it takes to perform at their best in the classroom and the courtroom.   When the program was over, the students had learned a lot of new information and had fun too. 

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Steve Tschiggfrie

Trial Advocacy Honors Board Position: Vice Barrister

Q.  Where did you grow up?
A.  I grew up in Dubuque Iowa; it’s the furthest eastern city in Iowa.  Most people know Galena Illinois, and Dubuque is very close to that….only cooler.

Q. Where did you go to undergrad and what did you major in?
A. I also went to undergrad in Dubuque as well, at a small school called Loras College (go Duhawks).  I was a Communications/Poli Sci kid.

Q. Why did you want to go to law school? 
A.  I’ve always been a trial ad/mock trial junkie, so it just seemed like a natural fit.  That and there’s not much to do with a Poli Sci degree anyway.

Q. Have you been involved in any competitions? What were they?  
A. Yes, I started out with the 1L competition my second semester and performed well there. My team placed 4th. I felt pretty good after the 1L. I remember an attorney from Jenner & Block coming up to us afterwards and giving us kudos; that was pretty cool. I was on the client counseling team later that same semester. Then my third semester I was on the Buffalo Niagara Criminal Law Competition team that won a National Championship.  Then this semester, I was on the AAJ Civil Competition and we advanced there to the semifinals.  So, three teams total.

Q. What is your best memory from any of the trial competitions you competed in?  
A.  Our victory in Buffalo was pretty spectacular.  It’s nice to see all the hard work we do actually pay off in the end and when they announced the winners, it was a pretty spectacular moment.

Q. Do you know what area of law you would like to practice?
A.   Ideally, I’d like to go into private civil practice, preferably personal injury or medical malpractice.  I really enjoy the challenge of breaking down and explaining complex medical issues.  It’d be nice to learn a bit about the medical field while I practice.

Q. What are the new and exciting plans you have in store for this school year for the Trial Ad and Dispute Resolution Honors Council?
A. One of the new exciting things is the addition of our shadow teams.  We are making a more organized effort to get people to participate on our shadow teams.  This will help our teams before they head off to competition, but giving them a solid team to scrimmage against before they leave.

Q. What advice would you give to members of the Trial Ad council if they wanted to pursue a career in litigation?
A. Secret handshakes, gang.  Secret handshakes.

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Matt Sims

Q: Where are you currently employed? 
A: Steven J. Morton & Associates  
 
Q: What is your practice area?
A: My area of practice is premises liability, wrongful death, medical negligence, transportation negligence, products liability, and workers’ compensation.
 
Q: What classes at John Marshall helped you become a better trial lawyer?
A: Without a doubt trial advocacy and advanced trial advocacy were wonderful classes to take and I highly recommend them. However, aspiring trial lawyers should also strive to be excellent evidence students.
 
Q: Were you involved in any activities during law school? If so, which activities/organizations?
A: I spent a great deal of time on the John Marshall Trial Teams. Both of these teams – the American Association for Justice and the Buffalo-Niagara team – advanced during competition. I also had a great time competing in the Herzog Competition.
 
Q: What activities helped you become a better trial lawyer?
A: Experience is invaluable. Try out for a trial team. Let me repeat that for those of you who missed it the first time, I’ll repeat myself: Try out for a trial team! It will be the best thing you ever did to become a better trial lawyer.
 
Q: Who was your favorite professor at John Marshall?
A: I don’t think it’s a fair question to make me pick one, so I’ll name two that particularly come to mind. The first was my trial team coach and comparative advocacy professor, Lance Northcutt. Lance brings a wealth of knowledge to aspiring advocates with his understanding of advocacy throughout Illinois. The other professor who I am obligated to mention is Sam Olken: Tough, but fair. If you can walk into Professor Olken’s Constitutional Law class feeling prepared, you can walk into any Cook County Courtroom more prepared than 99% of your opponents. His teaching style is a wonderful primer for what most judges expect when you address them.
 
Q: Did you work during law school? If so, want advice can you to law school student about work?
A: Yes. I started working my first summer after law school and never stopped! Take advantage of the fact that John Marshall is in the heart of one of the greatest legal communities in the world. Practical experience in your chosen field of law will make you a standout when you are looking for a job after graduation.
 
 
Q: What was the most important thing you learned at John Marshall?
A: Find your passion in the law. Happy lawyers go to work everyday excited because they love what they do. Being passionate about your client’s cause will always make you a better advocate.

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