April 13, 2010

Cooley Team Brings Home Trophies from National Competition

Two Cooley Law School students brought home trophies for Regional Champion and Regional Second Best Brief in the 2010 national finals of the American Bar Association Law Student Division’s National Appellate Advocacy Competition.

Derek Levinsky and Lowell Johnson, both students at Cooley's Auburn Hills campus, previously went undefeated in the Las Vegas regional rounds of the competition. The team of Levinsky and Johnson was one of just 24 teams who made it to the finals out of a field of nearly 200 teams.

Cooley Professor Evelyn Calogero expressed pride in the team, "Congratulations to Derek and Lowell, to their coach, Adjunct Professor Kelly McDoniel (regional champs in her first coaching outing is an awesome achievement), to their bailiff, Matt Cohn (who added his talents to their practice sessions), and to all of the other faculty members and local attorneys who helped prepare the team for their road to the final 24."

In the previous round, Johnson and Levinsky defeated teams from Stetson University College of Law, Chicago-Kent College of Law, Thomas Jefferson College of Law and two teams from the University of California Los Angeles School of Law to achieve a perfect 5-0 record.

They also received an award for the second best brief among the 32 teams participating. Levinsky was recognized as the highest scoring advocate by the judges in four of his five rounds and Johnson was recognized as the highest scoring advocate by the judges in his fifth round.

From left Lowell Johnson, Derek Levinsky, and Matt Cohn (bailiff).

High-Res 300dpi Image © Thomas M. Cooley Law School 2010

Cooley Law School is the largest law school in the nation. Founded in 1972, the private, non-profit law school operates J.D. programs across Michigan in Lansing, Auburn Hills, Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor.Today, Cooley Law School has nearly 14,000 graduates across the nation and worldwide and also offers joint degree and master of laws programs. Cooley offers enrollment three times a year; in January, May and September.