News

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23 Apr 2009

DLA Piper partners with National Association for Urban Debate Leagues (NAUDL) to host Second Annual Chase Urban Debate National Championship and Annual Dinner in Chicago

Press Release

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Chicago, IL – DLA Piper is among several law firms partnering with the National Association for Urban Debate Leagues (NAUDL) in conjunction with the second annual Chase Urban Debate National Championship and Annual Dinner in Chicago. DLA Piper participated this year as a sponsor in support of urban debate.

In its second year, the annual Chase National Championship will bring together the top two teams from each of 19 Urban Debate Leagues across the country. The tournament begins Thursday, April 23, and runs through Sunday, April 26, 2009, at Northwestern University’s downtown Chicago campus. Concurrently, the NAUDL will host its second Annual Dinner at the Art Institute of Chicago on Saturday, April 25. DLA Piper is one of several law firms supporting the NAUDL as a sponsor.

Close to 80 outstanding debaters, accompanied by their accomplished coaches and a contingent of dedicated public school administrators, will participate in a weekend of spirited competition and fun-filled community and cultural experiences. Participants will visit the DuSable Museum of African American History and tour the world-renowned Art Institute of Chicago. The NAUDL will also host a series of college and career information sessions for debaters and professional development meetings for coaches and administrators. The Chase Urban Debate National Championship’s top two teams will also qualify for the National Forensic League’s National Speech Tournament.

The NAUDL’s mission is to facilitate participation in organized debate for as many urban high school students as possible. During the past 18 months, the NAUDL has launched seven new Urban Debate Leagues in Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Memphis, the San Francisco Bay Area, and St. Louis, adding over 100 schools to the Urban Debate Network. Independent evaluations demonstrate that students who participate in Urban Debate Leagues achieve marked increases in literacy, grade point averages, college readiness, and attendance, and assume leadership roles in their schools and communities.

This year’s Keynote Address for the Annual Dinner will be delivered by none other than David Boies, founding partner and Chairman of Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP. A tremendously accomplished legal mind, Mr. Boies has been called the “Michael Jordan of the courtroom.” David Boies is a former high school and college debater and has taken part in many of the United States’ most influential and noteworthy cases, including Vice President Al Gore’s legal challenges of the 2000 Florida election returns before the United States and Florida Supreme Courts.

The NAUDL will honor as the 2009 Urban Debate Champions Mr. Gara LaMarche and the Open Society Institute. As Vice President and Director of U.S. Programs for the Open Society Institute (OSI) from 1996 to 2007, Mr. LaMarche played a major role in creating the Urban Debate Network. OSI’s original vision for debate in underserved high schools provides the template for the NAUDL’s work today. The NAUDL is proud to carry on that vision, and the Urban Debate Network is indebted to that initial investment. Mr. LaMarche is currently the President and CEO of The Atlantic Philanthropies.

Additionally, the NAUDL will honor Tracy Carson as Urban Debate Alumnus of the Year. Tracy Carson, a Chicago native, is an alumna of the Chicago Debate League. Since graduating from Northwestern University as a championship college debater, she has held a Marshall Scholarship at Oxford University, a Fulbright Scholarship in South Africa, and is currently a Presidential Management Fellow.

“The Chase Urban Debate National Championship is generously sponsored by the JPMorgan Chase Foundation,” says Scott Deatherage, Executive Director of the NAUDL. The NAUDL is grateful for JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s visionary support of the Chase Urban Debate National Championship. This is the second year that JPMorgan Chase & Co. has been the title sponsor of the National Championship. The NAUDL is proud to be a part of JPMorgan Chase Co.’s longstanding support of urban education.

For more information about the NAUDL and urban debate, go to www.UrbanDebate.org.

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If you are interested in interviews or attending the debates or Dinner, please contact:

Eric Tucker at or +1 312 427 0152