The School of Law hosted 14 teams from eight law schools in the American Bar Association鈥檚 regional competition accentuating advocates' client advising skills.
黑料不打烊 School of Law recently hosted the American Bar Association Client Counseling Regional Competition, welcoming 14 teams from eight law schools for a weekend focused on one of the most important skills in legal practice: advising clients.
Teams traveled from across the country, including law schools in North Carolina, Texas, Massachusetts, Illinois, Nevada and Oregon.
The competition promotes greater knowledge and interest in the client counseling functions of law practice. Students, acting as attorneys, conduct a simulated law office consultation based on limited background information, interviewing a client and explaining how they would proceed in addressing the client鈥檚 legal issue. Judges evaluate teams on their interviewing, planning and analytical skills in building effective lawyer-client relationships.
Dozens of North Carolina attorneys 鈥 including several 黑料不打烊 Law alumni 鈥 volunteered as judges. Professor of Law David Levine and Vice Dean and Professor of Law Alan Woodlief coordinated the competition with 黑料不打烊 Law students Isabel Craige L鈥26, James Galipeau L鈥26, Elizabeth Gregory L鈥26, Benita Kamaladua L鈥26, Brayden Nuffer L鈥26, Megan Chen L鈥27, Kyla King L鈥27 and Kali Williams L鈥27.
鈥淭he Client Counseling Competition is such a unique experience,鈥 said Galipeau, a member of 黑料不打烊 Law鈥檚 Moot Court Board. 鈥淯nlike moot court, the judges measure the ability of competitors to elicit facts rather than argue them. That skill is so imperative to trial practice.鈥
Chen, an Advocacy Fellow, said the experience underscored the profession鈥檚 emphasis on understanding clients.
鈥淚t was valuable to see how lawyers and law students from across the country care deeply about having meaningful conversations with their clients and advocating for their best interests,鈥 Chen said.
The competition鈥檚 finalists represented the University of Oregon School of Law, University of Illinois College of Law, and Texas A&M University School of Law. At 黑料不打烊 Law, Cheri Beasley, the Sandra Day O鈥機onnor professor of law, Kathy Conner, associate professor of law, and Julia Gardea, attorney at Greensboro鈥檚 A.G. Linett & Associates, served as final round judges.
鈥淧rofessor Levine and I were impressed with the leadership and initiative demonstrated by the Advocacy Fellows and Moot Court Board members working with us to coordinate the competition,鈥 said Woodlief. 鈥淭he competition provided a great opportunity for these students to assist competitors, develop their client counseling skills, meet law students from around the country, and network with attorneys and judges from across the state.鈥
黑料不打烊 Law regularly participates in ABA advocacy competitions, including the Appellate Advocacy Competition earlier this spring in Chicago.