LAW SCHOOL HOSTS REGIONAL CLIENT COUNSELING COMPETITION

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - The University of Arkansas School of Law will host the 2002 American Bar Association Regional Client Counseling Competition Saturday, Feb. 16, at the Center for Continuing Education at 2 East Center St.

The competition will begin at 9:30 a.m. and will break for lunch at 1 p.m., with the final round starting between 2:15-2:30 p.m., finishing at approximately 4 p.m.

Eleven teams from Southern Methodist University, Texas Wesleyan, Texas Southern, Loyola, Texas Tech, Oklahoma University, Baylor University and the University of Arkansas School of Law will participate in the competition.

The first-place winners of the University of Arkansas School of Law intra-school competition are Ben Poole (2L) and Jason Jobe (2L). The second-place winners are Sarah Waddoups (1L) and Aaron Jennen (1L). Both teams will participate in the regional competition.

UA Law School Dean Robert Moberly said, "We are excited to be hosting this regional competition. We are serving as hosts because we won last year's competition, and we hope to demonstrate Arkansas' hospitality to the visiting teams."

In the competition, teams of two law students interview an actor portraying a client. The teams receive only very general and incomplete information about the client and his or her situation. The students use the interview to discover the client's problem and provide preliminary legal advice. A panel of judges observes each team interviewing the same client, then makes the decision as to which team handled the consultation most skillfully.

- 30 -

###

Carol E. Rachal, communications coordinator, UA School of Law, (479) 575-6111, crachal@uark.edu

Nancy Hamm, professor of law, UA School of Law, (479) 575-2190, nhamm@uark.edu