P R E S S   P A G E

November 26, 2002
Mock Trial Team Wins National Championship
There’s an old saying that dynamite comes in small packages. Although representing a small university, the William Woods mock trial teams proved to be dynamite when they swept the National Mock Trial Championship during the Phi Alpha Delta Pre-law Conference and Mock Trial Competition in Chicago Nov. 7-9.
Beating out four-person teams from the University of Arizona, University of Arkansas, University of New Mexico, Pepperdine University, Concord College, InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico and Pasadena City College, WWU’s two teams claimed both first and second place.
National champions and first place winners were members of WWU Team 1: Adam Mulari of Omaha, Neb., Rebecca Eye of Kimberling, Mo., Nick Coleman of Salem, Ark., and Caroline Barber of Oakland, Calif. Both Coleman and Eye were also named Outstanding Defense Team Winners.
Mulari, team captain and WWU Phi Alpha Delta chapter president, said that he was “proud of the effort everyone put in and how everyone did their part.”
Placing second in the competition were members of WWU Team 2: Ty Flanders of Waynesville, Mo., Mandy Lambert of Jefferson City, Mo., Sarah Brison of New Bloomfield, Mo., and Brent Slapper of Leavenworth, Kan.
“I think it was great how we did,” commented Flanders, a WWU sophomore and Team 2 team captain. “But I was surprised at how well we placed since we were competing against some very strong teams.”
Also in attendance and representing William Woods were Andrea Rosser, Samantha Naftz, Ryan Mansfield and Crystal Goeringer.
Given only five to six weeks to prepare their case for the conference, the teams prepped, studied and practiced before the competition. The WWU Phi Alpha Delta chapter even held a “Death by Chocolate” fund raiser, selling chocolate desserts and candies, to help pay members’ expenses to attend the conference and competition.
“Everyone really pulled together to make this succeed,” remarked Mulari. Competing in four rounds at the conference, the WWU teams faced opponents from schools up to 20 times the size of William Woods and prevailed. In the final round of competition, the two William Woods teams went head to head.
Overall, the first place team won with a total of 645 points, while Team 2 placed second with 586 points. Based on a point-value system where points are awarded for opening and closing arguments, witnesses, questioning and objections, teams could earn a total of 180 points per round.
“We have only been participating in mock trials for three years, so this is very impressive,” explained Mulari. “This is something good for the university to promote, especially regarding recruitment of prospective students.”
The next mock trial competition that Phi Alpha Delta will attend is the American Mock Trial Association competition in February
The Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Conference and Mock Trial competition was part of the Phi Alpha Delta International Centennial celebration. Phi Alpha Delta is the largest legal fraternity in the world. The pre-law division was started in 1980 and there are currently more than 200 chapters in colleges and universities internationally. More than 20 chapters were represented at the conference, with 10 competing in the mock trial competition.

November 18, 2002
Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, to Sit at William Woods
The Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, will convene court at William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri on Tuesday, November 12, 2002, Chief Judge Joseph Ellis announced today.
A three-judge panel consisting of Judge Robert Ulrich, Judge Harold Lowenstein and Judge Ronald Holliger will hear oral arguments in seven cases in the Weitzman Courtroom located in the Burton Business and Economics Building, beginning at 1:30 p.m., Ellis said.
He explained that the cases are appeals from previously held trials in area circuit courts. The judges will hear attorneys argue whether the trials had errors that should cause them to be retried or the trial court's judgment reversed, he said. The judges will read written arguments before the court session, he added, and may interrupt the attorney's arguments with questions.
The three judges will recess in between arguments to discuss the court system and generally explain proceedings, Ellis said.
This will be the Court's fifth visit to the William Woods campus. The Court convenes regularly in Kansas City. Its jurisdiction is appeals from trial courts in 45 counties, which include all of northwest Missouri, and most of central Missouri.
Ulrich will preside over the proceedings at Williams Woods. He served as the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri for eight years prior to his appointment to the court in 1989. Lowenstein is the senior judge on the court in terms of tenure, having been appointed in 1981. Previously, he served in the Missouri House of Representatives and practiced law in Kansas City. Holliger was appointed to the court in 2000. Immediately prior to his appointment, he served as a circuit judge in Jackson County. Prior to judicial service, he practiced law in Kansas City.
"It is important for the Court to convene oral arguments outside of Kansas City," Ulrich said. "This gives individuals an opportunity to observe a part of the judicial system they normally do not see. We hope those attending will gain a better understanding of the Court's function."
During the past eleven years, the Court has held sessions in Columbia, Fulton, Moberly, Kirksville, Chillicothe, Tuscumbia, Sedalia, St. Joseph, Maryville, Marshall, Gallatin, Linneus, Warrensburg, Macon, Nevada, Lexington, Independence, Jefferson City, Savannah, Clinton, Liberty, Richmond and Trenton.

October 31, 2002
Phi Alpha Delta Hosts 'Death By Chocolate'
Death by chocolate—what a yummy way to go! For chocolate lovers around the area, the William Woods University chapter of Phi Alpha Delta (PAD) will host an all-you-can-eat style chocolate buffet Tuesday, Nov.5, in the Nielsen Room of Tucker Dining Hall on campus.
From 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., patrons can nibble, savor or devour all the chocolate in the room. Cost is $3 for anyone dining in or $8 to fill up a to-go box.
According to PAD member Nick Coleman, Phi Alpha Delta is a “scholastic legal fraternity that prepares members for their future endeavors in the legal field.” Activities include classes on the LSAT, Mock Trials and speakers.
The organization is sponsored by Cynthia Kramer, chair of the legal studies department at William Woods.
All the money from the sweet fund-raiser will support the Mock Trial team’s competition in the Phi Alpha Delta national tournament in Chicago. The WWU chapter will take two teams of four members to the November competition.

April 17, 2002
WWU to Celebrate Law Week
A book author and Missouri’s lieutenant governor are among the speakers scheduled to speak at William Woods University as part of the university’s fourth annual Law Week celebration, April 22–26
“Professional Snoop” author Carl Carver will speak April 22, Lieutenant Governor Joe Maxwell, an attorney, will speak April 23. Adam Mulari, a WWU student, will make a presentation April 24 and a Mock Trial will be held April 25. All events will be held in the Bernard Weitzman Model Courtroom in the Burton Building.
The goal of Law Week is to create awareness on campus and the community of legal and political issues that affect the United States. Law Week is sponsored by the department of legal studies and the WWU Prelaw Chapter of Phi Alpha Delta international legal fraternity.
Now retired, Carver spent more than 30 years “in the trenches” as an insurance claims-fraud investigator. He has worked with state and federal law enforcement, as well as several anti-fraud organizations serving the insurance industry.
His book details some of his more interesting cases, including the wife who reported her husband’s death to receive “spending money” and the prison escapee who got a job as a deputy sheriff.
Carver’s presentation and book signing. at 7 p.m. Monday, April 22. Carver is a longtime member of the Paralegal Studies Program Advisory Board and frequent guest lecturer in the legal studies department.
Lieutenant Governor Maxwell will give the Law Week Keynote Address on “Assuring Equal Justice for All” at 3 p.m. April 23.
Maxwell was elected lieutenant governor in 2000, after serving as a state representative and a state senator for a number of years. He was in the Missouri National Guard for 20 years and was called to active duty during the flood of 1993.
Mulari is a WWU sophomore from Omaha, Neb., majoring in accounting, with minors in political and legal studies. In early January, he spent two weeks in South Africa with a group of 37 students from across the United States.
The students were invited by the National Youth Leadership Forum to go to South Africa to learn about the legal system and draw comparisons with the U.S. legal system. While there, they visited courts and prisons, and met with judges and other officials.
Law Week concludes April 25 with a mock trial at 6 p.m. The trial will focus on the case of “State of Midlands v. Ashley Thornhill.” The case involves a murder at an advertising firm. One of the associates is accused of murdering the senior partner after being denied promotion to partnership.
Law Day was established in 1958 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to strengthen America’s heritage of liberty, justice and equality under law.
All events are open to the community. For more information about Law Week, contact the William Woods legal studies department at (573) 592-1647.

March 18, 2002
Mock Trial Team Raffle!!
Phi Alpha Delta is pleased to announce that WWU's Mock Trial Team has won an invitation to and will be competing at the American Mock Trial Association's American Intercollegiate Mock Trial Tournament, Florida in April.
To help defray the expenses of the competition, Phi Alpha Delta is holding a raffle drawing.  There are many great prizes, including a DVD player and four tickets to a weekend St. Louis Cardinals game.
Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5.  Phi Alpha Delta members will be selling tickets through noon on Friday, April 5.  Tickets may also be purchased in the Department of Legal Studies, Burton 107.  For more information, or to request tickets, call Debbie Schick in the afternoons at Ext. 1647.
The drawing will be held in the afternoon on April 5.  You do not need to be present to win!!!  Winners will be announced by e-mail.
Your support of the Mock Trial Team is appreciated!!!

March 13, 2002
Mock Trial Team Awarded Bid to National Competition
Phi Alpha Delta's (PAD) Mock Trial Team has been awarded a bid to the American Intercollegiate Mock Trial Tournament.  This tournament is one of three national competitions of the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA).  The bid was awarded because of the team's strong showing at this year's regional held at the University of Notre Dame. 
The national competition will be held at Stetson University Law School in St. Petersburg, Florida.  The team will compete against about 40 of the top mock trial teams in the country.  Over 400 teams were registered for competition in this year's AMTA regionals.  This is only the second year PAD and William Woods have participated in competitive mock trial.  The team's official airline for this competition will be American Airlines.

March 4, 2002
Mock Trial Team Competes at Notre Dame
The William Woods University Mock Trial Team competed in the American Mock Trial Regional competition at Notre Dame University Feb. 23-24. The team performed well against more experienced competitors from much larger schools. Several WWU students also were selected as "Outstanding Attorneys/Witnesses.
Senior Patrick Perkins of Marshall, Mo., and sophomore Adam Mulari of Omaha, Neb., are team captains. Mock Trial Team members are: senior Maureen Beveridge of Springfield, Ill.; juniors Nick Coleman of Salem, Ark., and Mandy Lambert of Jefferson City, Mo.; sophomore Rebecca Eye of Kimberling City, Mo., and freshmen Leah Novak of St. Louis and Caroline Barber of Oakland, Calif.
The team competed four times, twice as the prosecution and twice as the defense. The case involved a murder at an advertising firm. One of the associates was accused of murdering the senior partner after being denied promotion to partnership.
The WWU team record, which is posted as a vote between two judges in each round of competition, included a 1-1 score against Notre Dame University, a 1-1 score against Michigan State University, and an 0-1 tie against Manchester College and an 0-2 loss against Butler University. All four of these schools have competed in the National Tournament in the past.
In addition to the team scores, the following team members were selected as "Outstanding Attorneys/Witnesses": Barber, a first, second and third place; Beveridge, two firsts, two seconds and a third; Coleman, a second and two thirds; Eye, a second; Mulari, two firsts and two thirds; Novack, a third, and Perkins, a second and two thirds.
The Mock Trial Team is sponsored by Cynthia Kramer, an attorney and chair of the department of legal studies at WWU.

December 3, 2001
WWU Collects Gifts for Native American Children
'Tis the season to give and the members of the pre-law chapter of Phi Alpha Delta at William Woods University are doing just that. They are collecting toys for the children of the Loyal Shawnee of Oklahoma and the Omaha of Nebraska through Friday, Dec. 7.
For the past two holiday seasons, gifts and toys have been collected and distributed to Native American children due to the extreme poverty of their tribes. Both the Loyal Shawnee and the Omaha have tribal poverty levels that are substantially higher that the national average.
“William Woods has made a significant and positive impact on the holiday season for the Shawnee children. In the rural, mostly Native American areas around Jay, Okla., William Woods University is honored for its generosity,” said Cynthia Kramer, WWU director of department of legal studies and associate professor of political science.
Phi Alpha Delta hopes to deliver the toys the weekend of Dec. 9-10. Persons wishing to contribute, should contact Kramer at 592-4293 for more information and drop-off locations.

September 24, 2001
Missouri Court of Appeals to Convene at William Woods University
The Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, will convene in the Bernard Weitzman Model Courtroom on the William Woods University campus Tuesday, March 20. A three-judge panel, consisting of Joseph Ellis, Harold Lowenstein and Patricia Breckenridge, will hear oral arguments in a mixture of civil and criminal cases, starting at 1:30 p.m. The four cases involve: · whether a parent has the right to relocate minor children in a joint custody situation · a possible violation of rights by the Missouri Gaming Commission · the alleged stealing of a chemical used to manufacture methamphetamine · the seizure of alleged illegal gaming machines The model courtroom, which is located in the lower level of the Burton Business and Economics Building, opened almost a year ago, The court of appeals made its first visit to the model courtroom in November. The Western District of the Missouri Court of Appeals regularly convenes in Kansas City. Its jurisdiction includes appeals from trial courts in 45 counties of northwest and central Missouri. (more) court of appeals--1st add Members of the university's pre-law fraternity, Phi Alpha Delta, as well as students in the paralegal and juvenile justice programs, will be given priority for the courtroom's 45 seats. The three judges will remain after the court session to discuss the court system and explain proceedings to the students. According to Chief Justice Paul Spinden, "It is important for the court to convene oral arguments outside of Kansas City. This gives individuals an opportunity to observe a part of the judicial system they normally do not see. We hope those attending will gain a better understanding of the court's function." Cynthia Kramer, director of the department of legal studies and associate professor of political science at William Woods, feels "It is important for students to see how law and the legal processes actually work. It is a very unique opportunity to witness an appellant court - one that most wouldn't get to experience otherwise." ### NOTE: Although no cameras will be allowed in the courtroom while cases are being heard, media are welcome to photograph before and after the proceedings.