IIT Chicago-Kent returns to the National Institute for Trial Advocacy's Tournament of Champions for the eighth consecutive year

IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law will compete in the 2014 National Institute for Trial Advocacy's Tournament of Champions October 14 to 20 at Baylor Law School in Waco, Texas.

The Tournament of Champions is one of the most prestigious law school trial competitions in the country. Each year, 16 schools from the nation's nearly 200 law schools are invited to participate. Invitations are based on the schools' three-year performance record at the National Trial Competition and the National Student Trial Advocacy Competition and in prior Tournament of Champions competitions.

This is the eighth consecutive year and the thirteenth time overall that IIT Chicago-Kent has participated in the competition. IIT Chicago-Kent won the overall Tournament of Champions and its best advocate award in 2010.

Third-year students Matthew McCarter, Lucas Peters, Emily Schroeder and Judy Shammo will represent IIT Chicago-Kent. The team is coached by Judge David A. Erickson, retired Illinois Appellate Court justice and director of IIT Chicago-Kent's Trial Advocacy Program, and IIT Chicago-Kent alumni Joshua Jones '08, Lindsay Gephardt '12, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Demetrios G. Kottaras '84, Rachel Remke '12, and Erik Wilson '12. (Remke was a member of the IIT Chicago-Kent team that won the 2010 tournament.)

Team member Matthew McCarter earned an undergraduate degree in history from the University of Iowa. Teammate Lucas Peters received a degree in sociology from San Francisco State University. Teammate Judy Shammo earned an undergraduate degree in political science with minors in Spanish and sociology from DePaul University. Teammate Emily Schroeder graduated from Purdue University with an honors degree in political science with minors in history and Italian.

Founded in 1888, IIT 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. IIT Chicago-Kent's trial advocacy teams have won numerous individual student honors and regional and national competitions. The most recent U.S. News & World Report ranked IIT Chicago-Kent's Trial Advocacy Program sixth in the country.

Related News