IIT Chicago-Kent to compete in the inaugural South Texas Mock Trial Challenge

IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law is one of 42 ABA-accredited law schools invited to compete in the first South Texas Mock Trial Challenge held March 28 to April 1 at the Harris County Civil Courthouse, the Harris County Criminal Courthouse, and the Harris County 1910 Courthouse, all located in downtown Houston.

The competition, sponsored by South Texas College of Law, "is designed to showcase the best advocates from the nation's best advocacy programs." Each four-member team will address a cutting-edge problem related to a legal challenge faced by the health care industry. Judges will evaluate both trial briefs and oral arguments.

Third-year students Ryan Gallagher and Candace Hansford and second-year students Justin Haber and Edwin Johnson will represent IIT Chicago-Kent in the tournament. The team will be coached by IIT Chicago-Kent alumni Matthew Casey '09, Julie Levinson '11, and Brian Wojcicki '09. Casey and Wojcicki were on the IIT Chicago-Kent team that won the National Ethics Trial Competition in 2008. Levinson was on the law school's winning 2010 Tournament of Champions team.

IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law is the law school of Illinois Institute of Technology, a private, Ph.D.-granting institution with programs in engineering, psychology, architecture, business, design and law. IIT Chicago-Kent's trial advocacy teams have won numerous individual student honors and regional and national competitions. IIT Chicago-Kent won National Trial Competition championships in 1988, 2007 and 2008.