Northwestern Law Team Wins Trial Competition

CHICAGO --- The Northwestern University School of Law Bartlit Center trial team won the championship of the National Criminal Trial Advocacy Competition, sponsored by the California Association for Criminal Justice and Hastings College of Law.

The winning students were John Mack, Joy Dineo, Allison Freedman and Frank Doorley, all 3Ls, and 2L Kristin McCall. Dineo was also named “Best Advocate” for the entire tournament out of nearly 100 competitors. This was the third time that Northwestern competed in the CACJ tournament, winning the championship on all three occasions. 

The competition, which was held in San Francisco the weekend of Oct. 17-20, included teams from 24 law schools around the country. Northwestern compiled a perfect 5-0 record -- defeating teams from Golden Gate University (twice), Florida Coastal School of Law, Charlotte School of Law and Hastings -- and winning on 13 out of 15 judges’ ballots during the four days of the tournament.

The Northwestern team was coached by Rick Levin of the Levin Riback Law Group. Levin has taught for many years at the law school, and he has coached the trial teams to numerous victories in invitational tournaments, as well as a national championship in 2011.

“The students were incredibly well prepared and talented,” Levin said. “The CACJ competition is always challenging, with many of the best trial teams in the country. It took tremendous talent and dedication for our students to win it for the third time.”

The advisor to the team is Steven Lubet, the Williams Memorial Professor of Law at Northwestern and director of the Bartlit Center for Trial Advocacy.

“Year after year, Rick Levin does an outstanding job of preparing our students to compete in national tournaments,” Lubet said. “This year’s students are among the best we have ever had, and we are all proud of their successes.”