Advocacy pays off in court, real and moot
By: Beth Spencer
Issue date: 7/17/09 Section: Sports
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"That's basically what lawyers do," she said. "Any lawyer who does trial work or who comes into court is an advocate. When you're dealing with a jury, it's more about trying to persuade people and showing if witnesses are credible or not."
Advocacy skills can be a key factor in winning trials in the courtroom, she said. The law school plans to place more emphasis on promoting clients' positions.
Kritchevsky proposed the idea to Kevin Smith, dean of the law program, in August 2008.
"I decided to step down as associate dean and thought this would be a logical place to place my efforts," she said. "We've always talked about how if the school put more resources into it and I had more time to devote to it, we could really become a top school in the area."
Kritchevsky, who serves as faculty advisor to The University's Moot Court Board, said focusing more on advocacy could win The U of M first place in national competitions against top schools in the country.
"Moot court is like the NCAA of law school," she said. "It's a big deal. We've come in second place in both of the major national competitions over the past four years, and it's time we come in first. We came in second place to Harvard once, and Duke in another one."
As director of advocacy, Kritchevsky will focus on increasing and strengthening advocacy, which is essential to success in the courtroom, Smith said.
"Attorneys must possess both knowledge of law school and the skills to use that knowledge effectively on behalf of their clients," He said.
Kritchevsky will also produce a program for students to earn advocacy certification, he said.
The program will get more recognition when students and faculty relocate to the new downtown location in January 2010, Kritchevsky said.
"This state-of-the-art and imposing building in the heart of downtown legal, business and cultural districts will dramatically increase the law school's visibility, and therefore, the ability to attract students and faculty," Smith said. "The law school will also benefit tremendously from increased interaction with members of the Bench, the Bar and the business community."
The downtown location will have a large courtroom, which will facilitate emphasizing advocacy during Moot Court and Mock Trial hearings, said Daniel Cossey, second-year law student at The U of M.
"It's more than book learning," he said. "It's conceptual. In the courtroom you're doing the reasarch, writing, litigating and having conversations with the judges."
The advocacy program shows how law is a profession that helps humanity, said Charles deWitt, assistant dean and professor at The U of M law school.
"It's one of the most fulfilling careers you can go into," he said. "You have to be well versed in the law but also have the ability to communicate and empathize (the clients') needs and do your best to represent them."
Chris Connelly, a recent graduate of the law school at The U of M, said the program paints a good picture of litigation.
"They help students develop their in-courtroom skills," he said. "It gives you a touch of real-world environment."