The Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution Mission
The need for skilled and dedicated advocates has never been greater, and our Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution is committed to preparing our students to serve as advocates in every sense of the word. We teach students to apply critical skills in and out of the courtroom. We train students to represent real-life clients. And we empower students to achieve fulfilling career paths.
The CADR features:
- An advocacy concentration that includes a combination of experiential learning and coursework.
- Opportunities for experiential learning and licensing as student attorneys under the supervision of practicing attorneys in our nationally known legal clinic and externship programs.
- Opportunities for students to apply their advocacy skills in moot court, mock trial, and transactional competitions at the College of Law and throughout the country.
- Docket days in which Tennessee courts hear oral arguments in real-life cases at the College of Law.
- Continuing legal education programs and guest speakers in areas such as trial practice, advocacy, dispute resolution, diversity, career building, and many other areas.
Scholarships
We award annual scholarships to exceptional students who have demonstrated the desire and performance to pursue careers in advocacy.
- The Summers Rufolo & Rodgers Trial Advocacy Scholarship
This generous scholarship is made possible by the Chattanooga law firm of Summer, Rufolo, and Rodgers. Created by one of the Center’s founders (and legendary lawyer) Jerry Summers, the scholarship is awarded to a student who has demonstrated excellency in advocacy and who intends to pursue a career in plaintiff’s personal injury or criminal defense. Recipients are chosen by a committed consisting of the Dean of the College of Law, a Tennessee Supreme Court Justice, the President of the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the President of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association.
- The Louis C. Woolf Scholarship
Established by the Knoxville law firm of Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen, and Carpenter, PLLC, this scholarship honors Louis Woolf who practiced law for 50 years before retiring in 2012. The scholarship is awarded by the firm to a student who has shown the desire and skill to pursue a career in advocacy.
CADR Moot Court Program
The Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution sponsors and supports the College of Law’s Moot Court program. As one of the largest programs at the College of Law, we provide opportunities for students to participate on the Moot Court Board and to participate in moot court, mock trial, and transactional competitions at the College and throughout the country.
Students who participate in the program are honored each spring at the Moot Court Banquet. Students who achieve excellence in moot court activities may be nominated to the prestigious Order of Barristers.
Read more about Moot Court here.
Experienced Faculty
Our Faculty and Adjunct Faculty have decades of practice and teaching experience in trial practice, appellate litigation, criminal and civil law, and alternative dispute resolution. They include federal and state court judges, current and former federal and state prosecutors, and attorneys from large and small law firms.
Meet the CADR Team
Rodd Barckhoff
Interim Director, Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution
Email: rbarckho@utk.edu
Tammy Rooney
Administrative Specialist, Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution
Email: trooney@utk.edu
Contact Us
Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution
1505 Cumberland Ave.
Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-1810
Phone: 865-974-1477
Office: Suite 302
Contact Us
Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution
1505 Cumberland Ave.
Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-1810
Phone: 865-974-1477
Office: Suite 302