Samford University Cumberland School of Law’s National Negotiation Team competed in the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Regional Negotiation Competition, Nov. 10-12. Two team members advanced to the final round as the #2 seed, were named co-champions of the region, and will advance to the ABA’s National Negotiation Competition in Chicago, Illinois, in February 2024.

 

Representing Cumberland School of Law were third-year students Jackson Herring, Asia Oden and Elisabeth McDonald, and second-year students Zane Mitchell, William Taylor II and Riley Reynolds. From the team, McDonald and Mitchell participated in the finals and were named co-champions of the regional competition.

 

Ben Warren, JD ’18, serves as the head negotiation coach for Cumberland School of Law. He said, “I could not be prouder of these students. Not only did they win, but they did so with the utmost professionalism. While only one of our teams made it into the final round, another team narrowly lost one ballot and missed the final round by 1.5 points. We look forward to continuing to represent Cumberland in February during the national competition.”

 

This effort is a testament to Cumberland School of Law’s commitment to providing excellent advocacy training in all areas of advocacy including trial, moot court, negotiation and arbitration.

Sara Williams, JD ’06, visiting director of advocacy, said, "The performance of our national negotiation teams over the weekend was nothing short of outstanding. Our team advancing to nationals had some of the highest scores for this competition nationwide. This is a testament to their dedication, but also to the dedication and skill of their talented coaches who give so much of their time in preparing these students."