IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ANYONE ASSOCIATED WITH TRIAL ADVOCACY: |
We wish to invite your school to apply to participate in
The 19th Annual Cathy Bennett National Criminal Trial Competition.
The competition is sponsored by the National Association
of Criminal Defense Lawyers and co-sponsored by the Thomas
M. Cooley Law School. This annual event will take place in
conjunction with the NACDL
Fall Meeting which will be held on November 4 - 7 2009, in
Portland, Oregon at the Portland Hilton Hotel.
» Portland Hilton Hotel
Applications are now being accepted for this unique competition.
Please note the deadline (May 1) and apply promptly.
We expect to notify selected schools in mid-May of 2009. All
communication with teams regarding the competition will be
via email, so please include a correct and current email
address on your application.
For the eighth year, Professors
John Scott and Jerry
MacDonald from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan
will act as co-directors of the Competition, with the assistance
of NACDL representatives. Cooley Law School has, throughout its 36-year existence, consistently demonstrated
a strong commitment to teaching trial advocacy and to practical
scholarship in the law. Consistent with that commitment, Cooley
has volunteered time and financial backing to ensure the
continuation of this traditionally excellent Competition.
|
TEAMS
Twelve law schools will be invited to participate in the
Competition. In accordance with tradition, the two finalists
from last year will be invited back, and thus we will have
slots available for ten 'new' schools. The Competition is
a criminal trial competition.
There is no entry fee for this competition, and most social events are free of charge to your school. However, each team is responsible for its own transportation, hotel and meal costs. Rooms may be booked at reduced NACDL rate by teams, but remember to book early as the room blocks fill up quickly. NACDL allows faculty members to attend seminars free of charge during the trial rounds.
It is important to note that consistent with the tradition of this competition, advisors must be faculty, no student advisors will be allowed, and that faculty advisors will not be permitted to sit in on the trials.
The Competition begins on Wednesday evening with a Registration & Reception for team members and advisors, followed by a mandatory Faculty Advisors meeting. Three preliminary rounds will be held, (two Thursday and one Friday morning) before the four semi-finalists are determined. The semi-finals will be held Friday afternoon and the finals Saturday morning. All rounds will be judged by panels of experienced criminal trial lawyers and judges. All trial rounds will be held at the meeting location.
|
 As
noted in the Application, we require that you review
the competition Rules BEFORE applying [pdf] so as to avoid any misunderstandings
prior to or during the competition.
Please review the Rules carefully as they address some issues that are unique to this Competition.
Contact Us
PLEASE RETURN APPLICATION TO:
Katherine Fleming
Thomas M. Cooley Law School
300 South Capital Ave.
Lansing, MI 48933
Phone:(517) 371-5140 ext. 2848
Fax: (517) 334-5747
Email: flemingk@cooley.edu
Hotel and Accommodations
Hotel & Lodging Accommodations:
Portland Hilton Hotel
921 SW Sixth Avenue
Portland, Oregon USA 97204
Reservations: 800-445-8667
|
