Joseph Carlasare is IIT Chicago-Kent's 2011 Top Gun

Joseph P. Carlasare, a 2012 J.D. candidate at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, will represent the law school in the 2011 National Top Gun Mock Trial Competition held June 2 to 5 at Baylor Law School in Waco, Tex. Carlasare is one of only 18 law students nationwide to compete in this unique tournament.

"The Top Gun Mock Trial Competition gives law students the chance to go up against the very best of their peers, and gives all of us an opportunity to see the most experienced and talented law students in the country," said Gerald Powell, the Abner V. McCall Professor of Evidence at Baylor Law School, which organizes the competition.

Joseph Carlasare, a member of the Moot Court Honor Society and Trial Advocacy team, graduated magna cum laude with a double major in political science and philosophy and a minor in economics from Loyola University Chicago. In 2009, he became the first first-year law student in Chicago-Kent's history to compete both semesters on the trial advocacy team.

Carlasare was a member of the 2009 National Pretrial Advocacy Competition team that advanced to the final round and the 2010 National Ethics Trial team that finished as semifinalists. He was also a member of the IIT Chicago-Kent team that won the National Institute for Trial Advocacy's 2010 Tournament of Champions in October 2010, with Carlasare winning individual honors as the competition's best advocate.

Carlasare won the 19th annual Ilana Diamond Rovner Appellate Advocacy Competition and was a member of Chicago-Kent regional finalist teams in the ABA National Moot Court Competition and the National Trial Competition earlier this year. He is currently completing a summer internship with the Chicago law firm of SmithAmundsen.

Established in 2010, the National Top Gun Mock Trial Competition is designed to "reflect the realities of trial practice" in a winner-take-all tournament for a $10,000 prize. Invitations are sent to the deans of law schools with the best record of success in major competitions during the school year. Each invited school may send only one student to compete for the honor of the nation's best student advocate.

Participants will not receive the details of the case they will argue until 24 hours before the competition begins. In addition to preparing their opening and closing statements and witness examinations, competitors will also visit relevant sites of the fictional legal dispute. The tournament is organized by Baylor Law School and sponsored by the Texas law firm of Naman, Howell, Smith and Lee, P.L.L.C.

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. Chicago-Kent's trial advocacy teams have won numerous individual student honors and regional and national competitions. U.S. News & World Report this year ranked Chicago-Kent's trial advocacy program among the top five in the country. Chicago-Kent won National Trial Competition championships in 1988, 2007 and 2008.