In a resounding victory for the Father of Medicine, Hippocrates was found innocent of violating the Hippocratic oath in administering medical treatment to the dying King of Thebes in the mock “Trial of Hippocrates” on February 20th, 2019.
Some of Chicago’s powerhouse lawyers, including Robert A. Clifford, founder and senior partner of Clifford Law Offices, and Dan Webb, co-executive chairman of Winston & Strawn, defended Hippocrates against the City of Thebes after treating the King on his deathbed for three days, according to ancient Greek history.
Attorneys Patrick M. Collins, partner at King & Spalding and former assistant U.S. Attorney, and Tinos Diamantatos of Morgan Lewis, prosecuted the case before a crowd of more than 600.
Christina Faklis Adair of Gozdecki Del Giudice cross examined a medical expert witness at the mock trial where audience members served as jurors by voting with a chip that was later placed on a scale of justice. The defense team clearly won.
Twelve guest jurors, that included lawyers and community leaders in Chicago, also voiced their individual votes following the arguments. Andrea Darlas, radio and television news anchor and reporter at WGN Radio and WGN-TV, served as moderator for the sixth annual program.
Presiding over the mock trial was Judge the Hon. Charles P. Kocoras of the Northern District of Illinois who was joined by the Hon. William J. Bauer of the U.S. Seventh Circuit, U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman and Cook County Circuit Court Judge Anna H. Demacopoulos.
It also was announced at Thursday night’s trial at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park that last year’s trial, the Trial of Megacles, will be aired in April on Chicago’s public television station, WYYC, Channel 20.
The event was sponsored by the National Hellenic Museum of Chicago. For more information, contact Laura Calamos, president of Chicago’s National Hellenic Museum, or its Executive Director at (312) 655-1234.
lcalamos@hellenicmuseum.org