The teams of Jessica Samowitz-Matt Pernichele and Veronica McDougal-Ben Lawrence ably represented the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law in the recent regional rounds of the ABA Negotiation Competition (covering California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah). The competition was held November 5-6 at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California.
The team of McDougal and Lawrence placed sixth out of 28 teams. But the College of Law was assigned to the “weaker” side; as a result, although they were the second- best team on that side, they were not in the top 4 that advanced to the final round.
Professor Linda Smith, who served as team coach, explained, “Students who excel in their negotiation exercise from the Lawyering Skills clas are invited to participate in this competition sponsored by the ABA Student Division. While competing can be fun (and sometimes frustrating), the most important benefit for the students is learning more about their own personal styles and predilections. Working with a teammate is both rewarding and instructional in this way.”