Students Nationwide Compete in West Coast's First Law School Civil Trial

Los Angeles, CA -- Greene, Broillet, Panish & Wheeler, LLP will sponsor the first West Coast annual National Civil Trial Competition. Hosted by Loyola Law School, the competition will take place Thursday, November 14 through Saturday, November 16, 2002. Final rounds will be held on Saturday at Loyola's Albert H. Girardi Advocacy Center, 919 Albany Street, Los Angeles, CA.. Winners will be announced that evening at an awards banquet to be held at 7:00 PM at the Millenium Biltmore, 506 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA.

Fourteen ABA-accredited law schools out of a field of 28 were selected to participate in the tournament, which was created to give students an opportunity to develop and display the skills of a successful civil litigator. Organized by Loyola Law School Professor Susan Poehls, each school will send one team, with four members each. Students will argue a hypothetical wrongful termination case, and will be required to perform opening statements, direct- and cross-examine expert and lay witnesses, and give closing arguments based on the Federal Rules of Evidence.

Many of the 100 individuals who will judge the event are Loyola Law School alumni, including James Kruger, Class of 1955, who is flying in from Hawaii. Other alumni participants are The Hon. Tomson T. Ong of the Los Angeles Superior Court and U.S. Magistrate Judge Carla Woerle of the US District Court, Central District of California, who will judge the semi-final rounds. Retired Superior Court Judge Frederick J. Lower, Jr. will preside over the final round. Browne Green, Bruce A. Broillet, Brian J. Panish, Timothy J. Wheeler, Christine D. Spagnoli, Mark T. Quigley, and Adam K. Shea will judge both the semi-final and final rounds.

"We are happy to sponsor Loyola's National Civil Trial Advocacy Program," explained Timothy J. Wheeler, managing partner of Greene, Broillet, Panish & Wheeler, LLP, "because we are convinced that early exposure to courtroom dynamics at the law student level will result in better lawyers. Our hope is that this competition will encourage the nation's law schools to follow Loyola's example by adding more hands-on training to their curriculums, and by holding regional competitions that encourage trial advocacy skills."

"Loyola Law School is pleased to be the first school to host a tournament of this caliber on the West Coast, " said Professor Susan Poehls. "We have made a major effort to bring realism to this project, and are confident that the students who participate will get a real taste of what it means to be a lawyer, and what skills are required to become a successful courtroom advocate. We are honored that Greene, Broillet, one of the nation's leading plaintiffs' law firms, was so willing to sponsor the competition and look forward to their support in the years to come."

More event information can be found at www.gbpwlaw.com or www.lls.edu.

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Editor's Note: Law school participants: University of Akron, University of Alabama, Campbell University, Chicago-Kent College of Law, Cumberland School of Law, University of Florida, Georgetown, University of Houston, Loyola Law School, McGeorge, Pepperdine, South Texas College of Law, Temple, and Syracuse.