Chicago-Kent wins the ALA's 2015 National Moot Court Competition championship

For the sixth time in the past 10 years, a team from Chicago-Kent College of Law at Illinois Tech has won the Appellate Lawyers Association's National Moot Court Competition. The team of Justin Joffe and Matthew Smart, both third-year students at Chicago-Kent, won the 2015 championship and best brief award. Kyle Jacob, also a third-year student at Chicago-Kent, tied for first place as the competition's best oral advocate.

Joffe and Smart defeated a team from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law in the final round of the competition, judged by the Honorable William Bauer of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, the Honorable Edmond Chang from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and the Honorable William Holdridge from the Illinois Appellate Court.

Another Chicago-Kent team of Dion Beatty, Kyle Jacob and Militza Pagan reached the semifinal round before they were eliminated in a close match against Joffe and Smart. In addition to tying for first place as the best oral advocate, Jacob won individual honors for the best oral arguments in the preliminary and semifinal rounds.

Team member Justin Joffe completed his undergraduate education in political science and business administration at the University of Miami. Teammate Matthew Smart graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts with a degree in costume design and technology. Best oral advocate Kyle Jacob graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a bachelor's degree in political science and sociology.

Teams from Chicago-Kent won first place at the ALA's National Moot Court Competition in 2011, 2009, 2008, 2007 and 2006. In addition, students from Chicago-Kent have been individually honored with the best oral advocate award in in 2014, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 and 2004.

Founded in 1888, Chicago-Kent College of Law is the law school of Illinois Institute of Technology, also known as Illinois Tech, a private, technology-focused, research university offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, architecture, business, design, human sciences, applied technology, and law.

Chicago-Kent's Ilana Diamond Rovner Program in Appellate Advocacy was established in 1992. Since then, Chicago-Kent students have won numerous individual honors and regional and national competitions, including consecutive titles in the New York City Bar Association's National Moot Court Competition.