IIT Chicago-Kent to send two teams to the Appellate Lawyers Association's 2011 National Moot Court Competition

Two teams from IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law will compete in the 2011 National Moot Court Competition sponsored by the Appellate Lawyers Association November 4 and 5 in Chicago.

Third-year students Justin Hagan and Daaron Kimmel are the members of one team. The second team comprises third-year students Whitney Friedman and Josiah Jenkins.

The students will argue Zeudi Araya v. Fluorburton Corporation, a hypothetical case that raises issues regarding whether corporations are liable for international law violations under the Alien Tort Statute. The case includes a related issue concerning allegations of judicial bias. The final round of the two-day competition will be held in the ceremonial court room of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. In addition to an award to the winning team, awards will be given for the best brief and best oral advocate.

Teams from IIT Chicago-Kent won the national championship and best brief awards in this tournament in 2007, 2008 and 2009. In addition, team members won the competition's best oral advocate awards in 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Team member Justin Hagan graduated from Northwestern University, where he majored in political science and minored in history. Teammate Daaron Kimmel received his bachelor's degree in rhetoric and creative writing from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Team member Whitney Friedman earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a double major in political science and communication arts with a focus in rhetoric. Teammate Josiah Jenkins completed his undergraduate education at Northwestern University where he majored in history, with a concentration in American history, and a minor in business institutions.

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 Moot Court Honor Society teams have won numerous individual student honors and local, regional and national competitions. In 2008, IIT Chicago-Kent became the first law school to win both the National Trial Competition and the National Moot Court Competition in the same year. In 2009, IIT Chicago-Kent successfully defended its championship in the National Moot Court Competition.