March 24 , 2008

Cooley Students Advance to the National Finals of Trial Competition

From L to R: Cooley students Jordan Bullinger and Kristin Foster, Cooley professors Anthony Flores and John Brennan, and Cooley students Vickie Coe and Trevor Reaves.

Four Thomas M. Cooley Law School students were recently named champions in the regional round of the American Association for Justice’s Student Trial Advocacy Competition (STAC), for the second straight year, held in Seattle,
advancing Cooley to the National Finals.

Led by Professors John Brennan and Anthony Flores, Cooley students Trevor Reaves, Kristin Foster, Vickie Coe and Jordan Bullinger emerged victorious to secure a seat in the National Finals that will be held April 3rd in West Palm Beach, Fla.

The STAC engages law students in mock trial scenarios. Sixteen teams from each of the sixteen regions compete in a preliminary round that ultimately qualifies sixteen teams for advancement to the final round.

Reaves and Coe won a unanimous victory in their first trial defeating Brigham Young University’s team. Foster and Bullinger, while suffering initial defeat from the University of Washington, emerged victorious against the University of Seattle and placing both Cooley teams in the final round.

"In 11 years of coaching this competition, I have never seen a team come back from such a setback," Brennan said.

In their final round, Reaves and Coe prevailed over the University of Montana. Foster and Bullinger finished with a win over Lewis and Clark University advancing Cooley to the national finals.

Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, Cooley Law School is the largest law school in the country.  Founded in 1972, it operates J.D. programs across Michigan in downtown Lansing, in Auburn Hills, and in downtown Grand Rapids.  Today, Cooley Law School has more than 12,000 graduates across the nation and worldwide and also offers joint degree and Master of Laws programs.  Cooley offers enrollment three times a year; in January, May and September.   Additional information about Cooley can be found at www.cooley.edu.