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Northwestern Law team wins Midwest Regional ABA Labor Law Trial Competition

A team from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law’s Bartlit Center on Trial Advocacy won the Midwest Regional ABA Labor Law Trial Competition held in Chicago over the weekend. They now will compete for the national championship in January in New Orleans.

In a field of 24 teams, Linda Sun ’20, Nnenna Onyema ’20, Caroline McHugh ’20 and Cody Goodchild ’21 were undefeated through all four rounds of competition. They bested teams from Marquette University, the University of Illinois and Chicago Kent, before defeating Southern Methodist University in the finals. 

Northwestern Law’s other ABA team comprised of Jassiem Moore ’20, Christian Edmonds ’20, Katherine Martinez ’20 and Tara Shinall ’21 — also competed, and narrowly missed the cut for the semifinals.

The students presented opening statements, direct and cross examinations, and final arguments, alternating sides in an employment law case involving an alleged retaliatory firing over a whistleblower claim.

“We are always proud of our students and coaches,” said Steven Lubet, director of the Bartlit Center for Trial Advocacy and the Williams Memorial Professor at Northwestern Law. “It is especially rewarding when they succeed like this. They put in countless hours of preparation under the guidance of remarkable coaches like Rob Robertson.”

Assisting Robertson were Marko Duric of Robertson Duric; Brenna McLean of Jackson Lewis; Joey Becker of Winston Strawn; Amanda Tzivas and Patrick Cordova of Jenner and Block; and Kendrick Washington of the ACLU of Washington.

“Linda, Nnenna, Caroline and Cody represent everything that is so outstanding about Northwestern Pritzker’s trial teams,” Robertson said. “They are great lawyers who bring integrity, persistence, preparation and great talent to all of their work.”