IIT Chicago-Kent to compete in the National Trial Competition Region 8 tournament
IIT Chicago-Kent students Emily Schroeder '15, Judy Shammo '15, Ana Montelongo '16 and Nicolette Ward '16 will compete in the National Trial Competition (NTC) Region 8 tournament February 5 to 7 in Chicago.
The National Trial Competition, established in 1975 by the Texas Young Lawyers Association, is one of the oldest and most prestigious competitions in the United States. The competition is co-sponsored by the Texas Young Lawyers Association, the American College of Trial Lawyers and the American Bar Association.
IIT Chicago-Kent will compete against law school teams from Illinois and Indiana in the regional tournament, with the top two teams advancing to the national competition March 11 to 15 in Houston. In 2011, IIT Chicago-Kent students were national finalists and won the best oral advocate award. In 1988, 2007 and 2008, IIT Chicago-Kent won national championships and best advocate awards.
Team member Ana Montelongo graduated with honors from DePaul University with a degree in English and education. She earned a graduate degree in language and literacy from National Louis University. Teammate Emily Schroeder graduated from Purdue University with an honors degree in political science with minors in history and Italian. Teammate Judy Shammo earned an undergraduate degree in political science with minors in Spanish and sociology from DePaul University. Team member Nicolette Ward earned an undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of Iowa.
The team is coached by David A. Erickson, a retired Illinois Appellate Court justice and the director of IIT Chicago-Kent's Trial Advocacy Program, along with adjunct professor David Lavin and IIT Chicago-Kent alumni Joshua Jones '08 and Rachel Moran '08. (Jones was a member of the IIT Chicago-Kent teams that won the competition's national championships in 2007 and 2008. He won the tournament's best oral advocate award in 2008.)
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.
