September 9-13 is Irish-American Academic Exchange Week at IIT Chicago-Kent

IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law will celebrate the new academic exchange between the law school and the Bar Council of Ireland by hosting a distinguished delegation of members of the Irish bench and bar September 9 to 13. Three events are open to the public and will take place at the law school at 565 West Adams Street (between Clinton and Jefferson streets) in Chicago and at other venues in the city. The programs are sponsored by IIT Chicago-Kent in cooperation with participating members of the Chicago legal community.

The delegation will include Mr. Justice Frank Clarke of the Irish Supreme Court; chairman of the Bar Council of Ireland Mr. David Nolan; Bar Council vice-chairman Mr. David Barniville; president of Arbitration Ireland (and former Bar council chairman) Mr. Michael Collins; and barristers Mr. Shane Costelloe and Mr. Jarlath Ryan.

"The visit of our distinguished guest from Ireland marks an important milestone in the professional and academic exchange between the Bar Council and IIT Chicago-Kent," said attorney and IIT Chicago-Kent adjunct professor Lance Northcutt. "Under the leadership of Chairman Nolan, our students were given a front-row seat to the inner workings of the Irish bench and bar. We are very much looking forward to reciprocating that hospitality as part of a broader exchange."

Earlier this year, Professor Northcutt and Cook County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Byrne, who teach an Intensive International Trial Advocacy Program at IIT Chicago-Kent, took seven students to Ireland to experience the country's legal system first hand. After weeks of preparation at the law school, the students spent 10 days in Dublin, where they visited the Irish Senate, attended classes at the Honorable Society of King’s Inn, attended court proceedings, and conducted mock trials critiqued by Irish barristers.

The three public events scheduled during the exchange will be held on September 11 and 12.

Wednesday, September 11

"A Brief Overview of the Irish Legal System and Advocacy in Ireland" is the topic of a discussion led by the delegation. The program, which is free and open to the public, will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. in IIT Chicago-Kent's Judge Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Courtroom. A question-and-answer period will follow.

"Dining-in" is a tradition in Ireland dating back hundreds of years, where apprentice lawyers learn the intricacies of the profession by dining with senior members of the bench and bar, who are called "benchers." That tradition will be approximated in Chicago with the Irish delegation and a number of leading members of the Chicago bench and bar at Chief O'Neill's Irish Pub & Restaurant, 3741 North Elston Avenue, in Chicago. The cocktail hour begins at 6:30 p.m. Dinner will be served at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 for students, $100 for judges and government attorneys, and $150 for private attorneys.

Thursday, September 12

Illinois Appellate Court Justice Michael Gallagher will serve as moderator and panelist for a discussion on "Arbitration in the U.S. and Ireland" in the Heritage Room of the Union League Club of Chicago, 65 West Jackson Boulevard at Federal Street in Chicago. Full luncheon will be served and the program begins promptly at noon. Tickets are $40 per person.

For more information or to register, please contact Lance Northcutt at lance@lnorthcuttlaw.com or (312) 953-9252. 

Founded in 1888, Illinois Institute of Technology is a private, Ph.D.-granting institution with programs in engineering, psychology, architecture, business, design and law.

The Bar Council of Ireland was established in 1897. It is the regulatory and representative organization for barristers practicing law in Ireland.

Arbitration Ireland is a unique association whose corporate and institutional members include Dublin's leading law firms; professional bodies for barristers, solicitors and engineers; the Irish Branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators; and Chambers Ireland. The association's mission is to promote Ireland as a venue for international arbitration.