IIT Chicago-Kent’s James J. Morici, Jr., Advocacy Corridor Will Be Dedicated April 8

The James J. Morici, Jr., Advocacy Corridor at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law will be dedicated at a reception on April 8 from 5 to 7 p.m. The dedication, which will bring together Morici's family, friends, classmates and members of IIT Chicago-Kent's trial advocacy and appellate advocacy teams, will be held on the first floor of the law school at 565 West Adams Street (between Clinton and Jefferson streets) in Chicago.

The James J. Morici, Jr., Advocacy Corridor serves as the gateway to the state-of-the-art Bruce M. Kohen Courtroom and walled showcases displaying more than three decades of awards won by IIT Chicago-Kent trial and appellate advocacy teams. The corridor is named for IIT Chicago-Kent alumnus James J. Morici, Jr., a founding partner of Morici, Figlioli & Associates in Chicago, who graduated in 1979.

Morici is an accomplished trial lawyer who has amassed dozens of multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts for his clients. He currently teaches courses in trial advocacy at IIT Chicago-Kent, serves on the Alumni Association Board of Directors, and is a member of the law school's Founders' Society. Morici recently was named one of IIT Chicago-Kent's "125 Alumni of Distinction" during the law school's 125th anniversary celebration.

"Having taught more than 6,000 students in my 53 years at Chicago Kent, I naturally can point to many whose accomplishments have given me great pride," said Professor Ralph Brill. "I count Jim Morici among the top 10 of those former students.

"The main reason for my admiration of Jim is that his primary motivation has always been to cure or prevent injustice. Thus, he has used his great skills, knowledge and passion to help those severely injured by wrongful conduct, to foster safe practices and conditions, to punish wrongdoers, and to improve the skills, knowledge and passion of other lawyers and lawyers-to-be."

Morici began his legal career as an assistant state's attorney in the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. In 1987 he entered private practice in the field of plaintiff's personal injury litigation. Morici has exclusively represented seriously injured plaintiffs in personal injury and wrongful death litigation, concentrating primarily on cases brought under principles of construction site negligence, premises liability and products liability.

"Jim is a fantastic litigator and teacher," said Judge David A. Erickson, retired Illinois Appellate Court justice and director of the law school's Trial Advocacy Program. "He is the founding partner of his firm who never forgot where he came from. Jim is a person who gives back to the profession, as a mentor and teacher, and he is truly a credit to our school."

Morici is a graduate of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy's Teacher's Training Course and has taught on the adjunct faculty at John Marshall Law School, Loyola University School of Law and Triton College. He is a past president of the Justinian Society of Lawyers and the Italian American Political Coalition. Morici served as a member of the Illinois State Bar Association Board of Governors.

Founded in 1888, 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 and appellate advocacy teams have won numerous individual student honors and regional and national competitions. IIT Chicago-Kent is the only law school ever to win the National Trial Competition and the National Moot Court Competition in the same year (2008), and the first school to win the National Moot Court Competition in two consecutive years (2008 and 2009). The most recent U.S. News & World Report ranked IIT Chicago-Kent's Trial Advocacy Program sixth in the country.