Campbell Law student compete in 2024-2025 ABA Regional Negotiations Competition
Four Campbell Law School students competed in the 2024-2025 ABA Regional Negotiations Competition on Nov. 2-3 at the University of Missouri in Columbia.
The ABA Law Student Division Negotiation Competition provides a means for law students to practice and improve their negotiating skills. The competition simulates legal negotiations in which law students, acting as lawyers, negotiate a series of legal problems. The simulations consist of a common set of facts known by all participants and confidential information known only to the participants representing a particular side. All of the simulations deal with the same general topic, but the negotiation situation varies with each round and level of the competition.
The team consisted of Evey Morris ’25, Rachel Jamroz ’25, Casey Bouker ’26 and Catherine Morgan ’25.
According to the team’s Coach Evin L. Grant ’16, former assistant dean of students and pro bono opportunities at the law school, the competition consists of two preliminary rounds with different fact patterns, a third set of facts for the semi-final round and a final round.
Of the 20 teams, only four advanced to the semi finals.
“Our four students performed incredibly well,” Grant said. “Our veteran team unanimously won their first round, winning all three judges. In their second round, one of the judges scored them nearly perfect, with 119 out of the possible 120 points. And our new team impressed the judges, receiving high praise for sticking to the negotiation, being creative in their solutions, teamwork, collaboration, and advocating for their client’s needs without wavering.
“While, unfortunately neither of our teams advanced, each year we see our teams succeeding and receiving perfect, or nearly perfect scores in the categories of negotiation planning, flexibility and adaptation, outcome of the session, teamwork, relationship with opposing team and post-negotiation analysis.
“Our teams are praised for knowing the fact patterns, thinking outside of the box and recognizing common interests to efficiently and effectively create mutually beneficial agreements.”
The competition encourages students to develop soft skills that are becoming increasingly important outside of the courtroom as fewer cases are being litigated, Grant added.
Those skills include:
- Understanding a client’s needs through a fact pattern that is not linear or organized;
- developing on-the-spot creative solutions to accomplish client goals;
- active listening;
- collaboration and teamwork;
- empathy;
- finding the best outcome for all parties involved;
- and general negotiation tactics that are beneficial in every area of law.