2Ls and 3Ls gearing up for Pirtle-Washer Oral Advocacy Competition

This weekend, Brandeis Law students will have the chance to flex their oral advocacy muscles at the annual Pirtle-Washer Oral Advocacy Competition.

The 2016 competition's preliminary and semifinal rounds begin at 9 a.m. Sept. 10 at the Hall of Justice, 600 W. Jefferson St.

The competition allows second- and third-year law Brandeis Law students to showcase their oral advocacy skills in front of members of the local bench and bar who serve as the competition's judges.

"I can't think of another event the law school puts on where students can get as much exposure of their skills to practicing attorneys," said Caroline Pieroni, an attorney at Dinsmore & Shohl LLP who is serving as an external adviser for this year's Pirtle-Washer. Pieroni was a finalist in the competition when she was a student at Brandeis.

The opportunity to interact with area judges and lawyers is a big benefit of the competition, as are the cash prizes that go to champions, said Spencer Probst, a 2L who is the Moot Court Board's vice president of internal competitions. 

"People in the Louisville community recognize the (Pirtle-Washer) name," Probst said. 

In the preliminary and semifinal rounds, students argue for both sides of the case, allowing them to get into the advocate role, Pieroni said.

The competition was founded in the early 1960s and is named after Henry Pirtle and Benjamin F. Washer. Pirtle was the first dean of the law school from 1846 to 1873. Washer was dean of the Jefferson School of Law for 20 years prior to its merger with the university.

Participation in the Pirtle-Washer competition provides a foundation for representing the Brandeis School of Law in national competitions.

The final rounds of Pirtle-Washer will be held Sept. 16.