American Bar Association Negotiation Competition

American Bar Association Negotiation Competition
Name	American Bar Association Negotiation Competition
Established	1985
Organizer	American Bar Association
Frequency	Annual
Location	Rotating venues across the United States
Participants	Law students

American Bar Association Negotiation Competition The American Bar Association Negotiation Competition is an annual law student contest hosted by the American Bar Association that emphasizes transactional advocacy through simulated dispute resolution. Combining principles from Harvard Negotiation Project, International Chamber of Commerce, ICC International Court of Arbitration, Uniform Commercial Code, and Federal Rules of Civil Procedure-informed scenarios, the event attracts teams from law schools such as Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, Columbia Law School, Stanford Law School, and University of Chicago Law School.

History

The competition traces roots to mid-1980s initiatives promoted by the American Bar Association and the Association of American Law Schools to expand practical skills programs beyond traditional moot court and clinics. Early organizers collaborated with practitioners from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Sullivan & Cromwell, Latham & Watkins, and academics from Pepperdine University School of Law and Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law to design scenarios influenced by landmark negotiations such as the Camp David Accords and commercial settlements like those overseen under the Securities Act of 1933. Over decades the competition evolved alongside experiential learning reforms promoted by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and accreditation standards from the American Bar Association Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Format and Rules

Matches are structured as bilateral, timed negotiation rounds judged by panels drawn from firms such as Jones Day, Willkie Farr & Gallagher, and in-house counsel from corporations like General Electric, Microsoft, and Amazon (company). Teams typically consist of two or three students who receive fact patterns modeled after real disputes akin to those brought before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit or mediated in venues like the International Centre for Dispute Resolution. Adjudication criteria reference ethical frameworks including the Model Rules of Professional Conduct and practical measures used by mediators in cases like Apple Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co.; scoring emphasizes objective gains, relationship preservation, creativity, and compliance with rules inspired by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. Tournament brackets move from regional rounds to national finals, echoing formats used in National Moot Court Competition and Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition.

Eligibility and Participation

Eligible participants are students enrolled in ABA-accredited law schools such as Georgetown University Law Center, University of California, Berkeley School of Law, University of Virginia School of Law, and New York University School of Law. Invitations and regional allocations are coordinated with deans’ offices and career services departments influenced by placement practices at firms like Debevoise & Plimpton and Cravath, Swaine & Moore. International teams from institutions such as Oxford University and University of Toronto Faculty of Law have participated as guest observers or competitors under special arrangements tied to memoranda with entities like the American Bar Association Section of International Law.

Notable Competitors and Winners

Alumni of the competition include individuals who later joined institutions like the United States Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, and judiciary benches including the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Past champions have come from programs at Harvard Law School and Yale Law School, with finalists often featuring competitors who interned at White & Case, Baker McKenzie, or served as clerks to judges from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Several winners went on to prominence in academia at schools such as University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and Georgetown University Law Center, or to roles at advocacy organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union and policy groups like the Brookings Institution.

Organizing Bodies and Sponsorship

The competition is administered by the American Bar Association with advisory support from the ABA’s sections and committees, including the ABA Section of Litigation and ABA Standing Committee on Professionalism. Corporate sponsorship has included law firms such as Covington & Burling, consulting by firms like McKinsey & Company for skills assessment, and grants or endorsements from professional organizations including the Association for Conflict Resolution and the International Bar Association. Host schools rotate and have included University of Texas School of Law, Duke University School of Law, and University of Michigan Law School.

Impact and Educational Objectives

Organizers align the competition’s objectives with experiential learning reforms advocated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and accreditation outcomes promoted by the American Bar Association Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. The event teaches negotiation techniques popularized by the Harvard Negotiation Project and ethics principles tied to the Model Rules of Professional Conduct, while fostering skills useful for roles at firms like Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom or agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission. Graduates cite benefits when pursuing careers at institutions like Goldman Sachs, in-house legal departments at Google LLC, or public service at the United States Department of State.

Category:Legal competitions