Trial Advocacy Program
The inception of Chicago-Kent’s Trial Advocacy Program was in 1971. It was during that year that the school invited Warren D. Wolfson, presently an Illinois Appellate Justice, to teach a two-hour course on Saturday mornings. That course had 18 students and taught what has now become the Trial Advocacy I curriculum. After one year, Chicago-Kent hired another instructor to teach an additional trial advocacy class.
Through the years, the course was changed to a three-hour course with a maximum of 12 students. As the popularity of the class grew, additional classes of Trial Advocacy II and Intensive Trial Advocacy were offered to Chicago-Kent students. Because of Chicago-Kent’s commitment to remaining at the forefront of cutting-edge legal education, 2001 saw the introduction of yet another trial advocacy class, Litigation Technology. This new course assures that Chicago-Kent graduates will remain ahead of their peers when it comes to the wave of the future -- computer technology in the courtroom.
Presently, the popularity of the series of trial courses offered at Chicago-Kent is apparent as 80 percent to 90 percent of all Chicago-Kent graduates have taken Trial Advocacy I and about 50 percent to 60 percent have taken both Trial Advocacy I and II.
In addition to the trial advocacy courses, the Chicago-Kent Trial Advocacy Program has formed trial teams to compete in various trial advocacy competitions. Since the early 1980s, Chicago-Kent’s trial teams have experienced success against other law schools at both the local and national level.
Chicago-Kent’s Trial Advocacy Program blends several elements: a carefully selected and able faculty, experienced and devoted team coaches, student/teacher ratios that do not exceed 12:1, an administration that enthusiastically supports the program, and a student body that devotes itself to the time and effort necessary for substantial achievement. With these elements, Chicago-Kent is committed to keeping its trial advocacy program ranked among the best in the country.
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