Greene Broillet Panish & Wheeler, LLP Sponsors Second Annual National Civil Trial Advocacy Championship Hosted by Loyola Law School

Los Angeles, CA (November 5, 2003) – Greene, Broillet, Panish & Wheeler, LLP of Santa Monica, CA. will sponsor Loyola Law School’s second annual National Civil Trial Advocacy Championship, which will be held November 13-15, 2003 in Los Angeles, CA. Under the direction of Prof. Susan Poehls, The National Civil Trial Championship was created by Loyola to give second and third year law students an opportunity to develop and display the skills of a successful civil litigator.

Fourteen ABA accredited law schools across the Untied States were selected from a field of 30 applicants to participate in this year’s competition. This year’s competitors, each sending a four-member team, include: University of Akron School of Law, University of Alabama School of Law, University of Buffalo, Campbell University School of Law, Chicago-Kent College of Law IIT, Cumberland School of Law, University of Denver, University of Florida Law School, Loyola Law School Los Angeles, UOP McGeorge School of Law, Pepperdine Law School, Stetson University College of Law, Temple Law School, and Syracuse University College of Law.

The students will litigate a wrongful death lawsuit taken from the headlines. A widow has sued a police department, alleging that one of its police officers, called in to investigate a noise complaint at a Halloween party, negligently and without probable cause, killed her actor-husband. The students will be required to argue both sides of the case, and to role-play as parties and witnesses.

Elimination rounds will take place at the US Courthouse in Los Angeles, and final rounds will be argued at Loyola’s state-of-the-art Albert H. Girardi Advocacy Center. Partners from Greene, Broillet, Panish & Wheeler, LLP will serve as judges, and will be joined by Loyola Law School alumni and esteemed members of the Los Angeles legal community, including Presiding Judge U.S. Magistrate Patrick Walsh and attorneys Tom Girardi, Bernard Lesage, and Robert Shapiro.

"Loyola Law School’s national competition gives students a real taste of what it takes to be a successful trial lawyer," said Timothy J. Wheeler, managing partner of Greene, Broillet, Panish & Wheeler, LLP. "We are honored to sponsor the event because we believe that early training in the areas of research, writing and advocacy skills will result in a pool of young lawyers that have a genuine understanding of the real commitment needed to excel in the profession."

"We initiated the national civil trial championship to encourage more hands-on training of students," explained Prof. Susan Poehls, "and we are pleased that schools around the nation have responded so positively to our call to participate in the program. At Loyola Law School, we believe that combining theory with reality better prepares students for the actual challenges of the legal profession. With the support of Greene, Broillet, Panish & Wheeler, we’re able to make this happen."

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