Cray Huber’s own Anthony M. Sam coached the trial team from The John Marshall Law School for the 12th Annual National Animal Law Competition which competed at Harvard Law School on February 28, 2015 and March 1, 2015.  The team from The John Marshall Law School was named national champion at the competition on March 1, 2015. John Marshall took first place in the Closing Argument Competition.  This is the sixth national title for John Marshall in the Closing Argument Competition since the competition began.  Anthony M. Sam is a former two-time national champion of the National Animal Law Competition at Harvard Law School earning national titles in 2010 and 2011.  http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2015/03/02/711529/10122739/en/Chicago-s-John-Marshall-Law-School-Wins-1st-Named-National-Champion-in-National-Animal-Law-Competition-Held-at-Harvard-Law-School.html

The Client Counseling teams Chase M. Gruszka coached over the weekend of February 6-8 were tremendously successful.  After defeating ten teams from five other Midwestern law schools (including Northern Illinois University, Marquette, Loyola University, the University of Illinois and Valparaiso Law School), John Marshall’s two teams took first place and second place at the Midwestern Regional Competition.  By winning the Regional Competition, John Marshall qualified for the National Championship Tournament at the University of North Carolina in March.  This is the second year in a row Chase has coached John Marshall to a regional championship and a birth to the National Championship.

The current American Bar Association Client Counseling Competition originated as the Mock Law Office Competition at the University of Southern California in 1969.  It has been held each year since then, with the American Bar Association’s Law Student Division administering the competition.  The purpose of the competition is to promote greater knowledge and interest among law students in preventative law and counseling functions of the practice of law.

This year’s National Championship is being held at the University of North Carolina in Raleigh over the weekend of March 12-14.

Illinois State Representative Jack Franks (D-Marengo) recently introduced HB 1441 to the Illinois General Assembly that would amend the Premises Liability Act, 740 ILCS 130/1, et seq. The bill provides that whether a condition is open and obvious may be considered by the trier of fact only in assessing the degree of comparative fault, if any, and may not be considered with respect to any other issue of law or fact, including duty. The bill was introduced on February 5, 2015, and was referred to House Rules Committee.

Whether a condition is open and obvious has traditionally been part of the duty analysis (and, therefore, a question of law decided by the court) in premises liability and some products liability matters.    Representative Franks’ Bill is more reason why defendants in Illinois need strong legal representation.

Chase M. Gruszka coached The John Marshall Law School’s ABA Client Counseling Team. They competed at The Regional Competition on February 7-8 at the Valparaiso School of Law.  The American Bar Association Law Student Division 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.  This year’s topic is family law.  When Chase participated as a competitor, they took second place in the region.  As a coach last year, his team took third place in the nation.

On March 10, Michael D. Huber and Rodney E. VanAusdal attended the 2015 Podiatry Insurance Company of America (PICA) Defense Counsel Symposium followed by the 2015 ProAssurance Defense Counsel Meeting on March 11 at the Parc 55 Wyndham Hotel in San Francisco.

Zachary G. Shook and Michael D. Huber co-authored an article entitled “Show Me the Contract:  The Nonsensical Need for Contractual Privity on a Construction Site to Obtain Additional Insured Status” featured in the Winter Issue of the DRI’s The Critical Path.  Click here to view the article.

Stephen W. Heil gave a presentation entitled “Avoiding Podiatric Malpractice” at the 37^th Annual Midwinter Seminar on January 24 at the Drake Hotel.  The Midwinter Seminar is co-sponsored by the Illinois Podiatric Medical Students’ Association, the Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine, and Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science.  It is the IPMSA’s largest fundraiser for the year and proceeds help support student activities and scholarships.

On November 21-23, Chase Gruszka coached the Georgetown White Collar Crime Mock Trial Invitational Competition in Washington, DC.  The White Collar Crime Invitational is a three-day trial advocacy competition hosted by the Georgetown University Law Center Barristers’ Council. It features a federal criminal trial focused on white collar issues. Past problems include insurance fraud, honest services fraud, and lying to federal investigators.  Twenty of the nation’s top trial advocacy programs journey to Washington for the competition, which is judged by legal professionals from the greater D.C. Area.