ASU Oplinger Blake Competiton

The ASU Oplinger-Black Closing Argument Competition was held April 3-6, 2023 at Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law Volunteer judges representing the AADC included Retired Judge James Smith (Osborn Maledon), J P Harrington Bisceglia (Christian, Dichter & Sluga), David Schmidt (Clark Hill), and Steven Crocchi (Gordon Rees) The AADC provided students with a fact pattern, evidence, and jury instructions for the competition

According to Matthew Story, the 1st place winner, timing was by far the most challenging aspect of this competition. Competitors had 10 minutes total for closing argument, and the plaintiff's side could reserve a portion of that time for rebuttal. “Briefly, I had to legitimize my clumsy plaintiff's injuries and simultaneously paint the corporate defendant as careless and apathetic Brevity was our ally as we forcefully reduced complex arguments into palatable, bite-size forms Still, it was difficult to balance brevity against clarity while also threading a common theme throughout all of it Juries are a finicky bunch, a jury of lawyers is no different I was fortunate to have a captivated jury that appreciated my argument I am grateful for the opportunity to improve my advocacy skills against such great competitors and to receive in-person feedback from experienced litigators ”

The AADC provided monetary awards for the top three winners: Matthew Story (1st place), McKenna Hunter (2nd place), and Adam Bixby (3rd place). Congratulations to the winners and the competitors on a job well done! We’re excited for Arizona’s future litigators!