CBA Record January-February 2022

Y O U N G L A W Y E R S J O U R N A L

matters such as what to do in the court- room, how to check in, when the judge will hear certain cases, how court orders are to be written and submitted, how to access Zoom court, trial and hearing procedures, formats regarding filings, and anything else the judge wants practitioners to know ahead of court. In general, judges in Cook County have up-to-date standing orders because they have very heavy dockets and do not have time to answer these sorts of logisti- cal questions. When it is clear to the judge

that an attorney has not read the standing order, this gives the impression that an attorney does not care about the judge’s rules or procedures or is unprepared—and the attorney’s reputation takes an easily- mitigated hit. Preparation is the key to success and to maintaining a positive reputation as an attorney. Following the local court rules and reading a judge’s standing order can substantially help prepare attorneys for practicing in a particular court or in front of a particular judge. The cumulative effect

goes a long way towards building a good reputation.

Kaitlyn Costello, a family law attorney at the Law Office of Tiffany M. Hughes in Chicago, represents spouses and parents in divorce, parentage, and child support liti- gation matters.

University of Florida Takes Top Prize in Moot Court Competition For the past 39 years, the CBA Young Lawyers Section’s Moot Court Committee has hosted an Annual Moot Court Competition. The 2021 event was held virtually and featured participants from 30 ABA-accredited law schools from around the country. Students had the opportunity to hone their research, writing, and oral advocacy skills. Thank you to our many CBA members who served as volunteer brief graders and oral argument judges to give participants a real taste of courtroom practice. If you would like to get involved with the 2022 competition, please send an email to yls@chicagobar.org.

Best Oralist: Team O – St. Mary’s University School of LawTeam 1

Overall Winner: Team S – University of Florida Levin College of Law

Kyle B. Forges

Ryan Johnson

Coy Allen Westbrook

Best Brief: Team D – Georgia State University College of Law

From left to right: Bradford Poston, Kate Mize (coach), Caroline Peck

CBA RECORD 39