Chicago-Kent advances to the national finals of the 2016 Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition

The team won second place at the Midwest regional tournament

Chicago-Kent College of Law at Illinois Tech will advance to the national finals of the 2016 Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition March 9 to 13 in Baltimore.

Dion Beatty '17, Brandi Burton '16, Benjamin Jacobs '17 and Whitney Williams '16 placed second in the regional tournament February 16 to 21 in Chicago. In the final round of competition, a team from DePaul outscored Chicago-Kent by a single point.

Team member Dion Beatty earned a master of social work degree and an undergraduate degree in sociology and creative writing from the University of Michigan. Beatty also holds a master's degree in business administration and a master's degree in human resources from DePaul University. Teammate Brandi Burton graduated from Spelman College with a bachelor's degree in psychology. Teammate Benjamin Jacobs completed his undergraduate degree in economics at Allegheny College. Team member Whitney Williams holds a bachelor's degree in political science and sociology from the University of Missouri.

The team is coached by alumnae Adella Deacon '11, Janelle Dixon '11 and Katrice Matthews '10, all of whom have represented Chicago-Kent in the national finals of this competition.

Sponsored by the National Black Law Students Association, the competition is named for the Honorable Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American justice appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court. This the fifth time since 2010 that Chicago-Kent has advanced to the national finals.

Chicago-Kent's trial advocacy teams have won numerous individual student honors and regional and national competitions. In the most recent U.S. News & World Report graduate school rankings, Chicago-Kent's Trial Advocacy Program is ranked fourth in the country.

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