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The Client Counseling Competition at the University of Nebraska College of Law is less about drama in a courtroom and more about conversation in an office.
Pairs of students sit across from a “client” for 45 minutes, listening carefully to identify legal issues and offer guidance.
“It is our job to be effective as lawyers in gathering important information and analyzing the problem,” Brett Stohs, Client Counseling Competition head coach, said. “But just as important is being effective counselors and making the client feel seen as a whole human being.”
Nebraska has been part of the competition since 1975, when Alan Frank first brought a team together. That inaugural group won the national championship.
“It makes for this wonderful underdog story,” Stohs said. “They did not know what to expect, and they came home with the national title.”
Since then, the program has won 20 regional titles, six national championships and one international title. For Audrey Polt, a former national champion, the impact goes beyond trophies.
“Running the local competition can take 75 to 125 volunteers,” she said. “Fifty years show how invested Lincoln, Omaha and the Nebraska legal community are in creating practical opportunities for students.”
Students do not just walk away from the team with another line on their resume — they leave with skills they will use every day in practice.
“It taught me how to walk into a meeting with structure, but also how to pivot when a client takes the conversation somewhere unexpected,” Polt said. “Those skills have been valuable to me as my career continues.”
“Some students are terrified to talk with clients, while others think, ‘I’m a people person, I’ve got this,’” Stohs said. “Both end up leaving the program with more confidence.”
Each year, the topic of the cases change. This year’s focus is on artificial intelligence. Students spend weeks learning the relevant area of law, practicing interviews and building their teamwork.
“Every team has its own flavor,” Stohs said. “The key is finding a structure that plays to their strengths.”
The program has taken students far beyond Nebraska.
“My partner and I competed in Dublin, Ireland,” Polt said. “We got to see how law students in other countries are trained and what legal problems they face. It was the opportunity of a lifetime.”
Those opportunities depend on donor support, which helps cover the cost of travel and hotel expenses for the team when competing far from home.
“Donor help has absolutely been critical,” Stohs said.
As the team marks its 50th anniversary, the celebration is about more than titles.
“I’m excited to honor Alan Frank and Craig Lawson,” Stohs said. “For decades, they gave their time and passion to this program. The competition is part of their legacy.”
You can help support transformative opportunities like the Client Counseling Competition by making a gift to the N Fund – College of Law today.
