IIT Chicago-Kent to compete in the 2011 Lone Star Classic

IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law is one of 16 ABA-accredited law schools invited to compete in the 2011 Lone Star Classic held October 13 to 15 at St. Mary's University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas. Each school will send teams comprised of four students each to argue a criminal case set in the hypothetical state of Lone Star using the Federal Rules of Evidence.

Third-year students Daniel Crone, Nicholas Economakos, Candace Hansford and Carlos Vera will represent IIT Chicago-Kent in the tournament. Team member Daniel Crone earned an undergraduate degree in criminology/sociology and psychology from Ohio State University. Team member Nicholas Economakos graduated cum laude from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he majored in electronic media arts and communication with a focus in film. (Economakos was on the IIT Chicago-Kent team that advanced to the national finals of the American Bar Association Section of Labor and Employment Law's Law Student Trial Advocacy Competition last year.)

Team member Candace Hansford completed her undergraduate education at Illinois State University with a double major in accounting and finance. Hansford also earned an MBA with a concentration in finance from Valparaiso University. Team member Carlos Vera graduated from Whittier College with a double major in philosophy and religious studies.

The team will be coached by IIT Chicago-Kent alumni Patricia Berlin '11, Katya Manak '10, James McKay '84 and Michelle Truesdale '04.

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 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. IIT Chicago-Kent won National Trial Competition championships in 1988, 2007 and 2008.

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