UC Berkeley Clinches Championship in National Civil Trial Competition
LOS ANGELES (Nov. 17, 2015)- UC Berkeley School of Law won the
14th Annual National Civil Trial Competition (NCTC) on Sunday,
Nov. 15, 2015 after a three-day tournament held over the weekend
in Los Angeles. More than 50 law schools nationwide apply for
this prestigious rivalry, and only 16 finalists are chosen to
compete in the invitation-only event that focuses on training
students in the art of trial practice.
The winning team members are Colin Jones, DeCarol Davis, Jared
Ginsburg and Jason Wu. The team coaches are Emily Tienken and
Suzanne Jaffe.
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- Finalists: Georgetown Law Center
- Semi Finalist: Stetson University School of Law
- Semi Finalist: Washington University St. Louis
- Best Advocate in the Preliminary Rounds: Alexis Wilpon,
Georgetown Law Center
- Best Advocate in Finals: Jared Ginsburg, UC Berkeley
- Ethical Advocacy Award: Georgetown Law Center
Loyola Law School, Los Angeles hosts the annual tournament that
first launched in 2002 under the guidance of Professor Susan
Poehls, the director of trial advocacy programs at the school.
The Santa Monica law firm Greene Broillet & Wheeler LLP has
proudly co-sponsored the event since its inception.
Each competing law school sent a team of four students who
participated in a civil lawsuit trial that consisted of opening
statements, direct and cross examination of two witnesses per
side, and closing arguments. This year each team litigated the
hypothetical wrongful death lawsuit Chen v. City and County of
Santa Francesca, based on an actual case that involved an airline
passenger who was apparently run over on the tarmac by an
emergency vehicle racing to respond to a plane crash.
"This was an impressive match up between our nation's most
promising legal talents," said Browne Greene, Senior Partner at
Greene Broillet & Wheeler, LLP and a member of the judges'
panel. "These young law students really put their hearts into
this competition, and it was a pleasure to watch and judge this
competition."
"A weekend like this clearly demonstrates that the next
generation of trial lawyers will be a dynamic group of young
people ready to handle the challenges of the courtroom. Quite
simply, they were spectacular," said Professor Poehls.
More than 100 members of the greater Los Angeles legal community
volunteered as tournament judges.
For NCTC program information contact:
Brian Costello
Assistant Dir. of Communications, Loyola Law School
Tel: 213-736-1444
brian.costello@lls.edu
Press Contact:
Gina Fernandes
Tel: 626-356-3006
gina@jurisproductions.com
EDITOR'S NOTE: Photographs are available upon
request.