Cooley Law team wins national ABA competition

WMU-Cooley Law students Elizabeth and Bryan Devolder took first place at the American Bar Association (ABA) Law Student Division Client Counseling Competition National Finals on March 14 held at North Carolina Central University School of Law, and were named National Champions. The Devolders, a husband and wife team who attend Cooley's Tampa Bay campus, will move on to compete at the Louis M. Brown and Forrest S. Mosten International Client Consultation Competition in April, representing all U.S. law schools in this international competition. The ABA Client Counseling Competition simulates a law office consultation in which law students, acting as attorneys, are presented with a client matter. They conduct an interview with a person playing the role of the client and then explain how they would proceed further in the hypothetical situation. "We are extremely proud of Elizabeth and Bryan for bringing the national championship in the ABA Client Counseling Competition back to WMU-Cooley Law School, a title the school last held in 2011," said Christine Church, WMU-Cooley associate dean. "They were outstanding all the way through the competition. One judge applauded at the end of the round, which I've not seen before at a national competition. Another judge said 'I would hire you' at the end of the round." A total of 108 teams from 66 ABA-approved law schools participated in 12 regional competitions held across the nation in February. The regional champions advanced to the national championship round. Following the victorious WMU-Cooley team were Southern Methodist University in second place and the University of Oklahoma in third place. Before heading to national finals, the WMU-Cooley duo bested teams from the University of Michigan, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Akron, the University of Louisville, Duquesne University, and Northern Kentucky University. WMU-Cooley's regional championship in this competition was its seventh in 10 years. The International Client Consultation Competition will be held April 15-18 in Lincoln, Nebraska, at the University of Nebraska College of Law. Published: Thu, Mar 19, 2015