The Chicago-Kent College of Law Moot Court Honor Society team of Timothy Lavino ’18 and Alexandrina Shrove ’18 placed second in the nation and won the second-place best brief award at the 2017 Appellate Lawyers Association National Moot Court Competition, held November 3 and 4 in Chicago.

From left: Marko Ilich, Katherine LaRosa, Timothy Lavino, and Alexandrina Shrove

In addition, Lavino earned individual honors as the competition’s first-place best oral advocate, and third-year student Marko Ilich, who competed on another Chicago-Kent team, earned the competition’s second-place best advocate award. Ilich and his teammate, Katherine LaRosa, reached the final four before falling narrowly to the eventual competition winners from Florida State.

The Appellate Lawyers Association National Moot Court Competition is one of the few American moot court competitions sponsored by a group of appellate practitioners. This year, the competition was open to 24 teams, up from 16 in previous years.

Lavino earned a bachelor’s degree in theater from the Vanguard University of Southern California. Shrove graduated with a B.A. in international/global studies from California State University Long Beach. Ilich holds a B.S. in business administration from Nova Southeastern University. LaRosa completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English at Radford University.

The team was coached by Kent Streseman, director of Chicago-Kent’s Ilana Diamond Rovner Program in Appellate Advocacy, and Elizabeth De Armond, Michael Gentithes, Douglas Wm. Godfrey and Joan Steinman helped the students prepare for competition.

Chicago-Kent’s Ilana Diamond Rovner Program in Appellate Advocacy, the umbrella program for many of the law school’s moot court activities, was established in 1992. Since then, Chicago-Kent students have won numerous individual honors and regional and national competitions, including consecutive titles in the New York City Bar Association’s National Moot Court Competition.