Loyola Law School's 5th Annual National Civil Trial Competition Begins Thursday, November 9th.

LOS ANGELES -- Loyola Law School's 5th annual National Civil Trial Competition will begin Thursday, November 9, 2006 and culminate on Saturday, November 11, 2006. Sixteen of the nation's leading law schools will compete, with preliminary rounds held at the United States Federal Courthouse in Los Angeles, and with semifinal and final rounds held on campus at Loyola Law School. Started in 2002 by Loyola Law School Prof. Susan Poehls and sponsored by the Santa Monica, CA. law firm of Greene Broillet & Wheeler, the National Civil Trial Competition gives second and third year law students an opportunity to develop and display the skills of a successful civil litigator.

More than 50 law schools applied to participate in The National Civil Trial Competition, which is a "by invitation only" tournament. The schools selected this year include: University of Akron School of Law, Brooklyn Law School, University of Buffalo Law School, University of Denver College of Law, George Washington School of Law Center, University of Houston Law Center, Loyola Law School Los Angeles, Loyola University Chicago, University of Maryland School of Law, Pepperdine Law School, South Texas College of Law, Stetson University College of Law, St. John's University School of Law, Syracuse University College of Law, Temple Law School, and Washington University in St. Louis. Each school will send a four-member team and is required to argue both sides the case and to role-play as parties and witnesses.

Judges for the National Civil Trial Competition are drawn from the greater Los Angeles legal community, and will preside over a hypothetical civil suit involving a well-known journalist who was working on high-profile stories regarding various business dealings of several entertainment industry figures. The "plaintiff" alleges that a well-known private investigator was behind certain threats and assaults which brought the "reporter's" career to a halt.

"The National Civil Trial Competition is pleased to be recognized as one of the top among the circuit of law school trial advocacy competitions in the country," stated Prof. Susan Poehls. We strive to make each tournament one that challenges law students to do their very best, and we draw upon headline making lawsuits to keep it interesting for everyone."

"Prof. Poehls' leadership has made all the difference in growing Loyola's NCTC into an event that law schools across the country vie to participate in," said Timothy J. Wheeler, managing partner of Greene, Broillet & Wheeler and a 1978 Loyola Law School graduate. "Our firm is genuinely proud to be the original sponsor of the NCTC, and what we especially like about the program is that it gives law students a taste of real-world litigation by having them stand up and argue in a genuine federal courtroom."