Wilmington, Delaware
On May 17-24, 2012 Widener University School of Law held its annual Intensive Trial Advocacy Program (“ITAP”) which seeks to give law students a real world perspective on the trial of both criminal and civil cases. Students are given hypothetical criminal and a civil cases. They are asked to work through the cases and prepare them for trial. The students work on everything from opening statements to closing argument. The week long seminar ends in a trial of the assigned case in front of a mock jury and a guest attorney serving as the judge.
ITAP brings experienced and talented attorneys from all over the country to teach law students how to appropriately try cases. Andrew Mundwiller of the Cagle Law Firm was invited to join attorneys from New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Georgia, Florida, Utah, Massachusetts, and other states to act as a guest instructor. This program is one of only a few that really seeks to show students not only the procedure, but a different way of thinking about their cases. “It seems funny to me that so many law schools do not teach their students how to try a lawsuit. We would never expect a surgeon to not know how to operate on a patient after they finish their training. I was honored that I was asked to serve as a guest instructor and judge in such an important program.”