The Securities Dispute Resolution Triathlon is a joint
initiative of the Hugh L. Carey Center for Dispute Resolution and
the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). The
Triathlon is not a competition of physical endurance, but of
dispute resolution competence, with student teams from law schools
around the country testing their advocacy skills in the
negotiation, mediation and arbitration of a securities dispute.
Students play the roles of attorneys and clients, with some teams
in the role of investor and others in the role of
broker-dealer. Members of FINRA’s roster of experienced
neutrals serve as mediators, arbitrators and judges, critiquing the
student teams and offering the students an invaluable real-life
experience. By challenging students to negotiate, mediate, and
arbitrate in a single competition, this one-of-a-kind event gives
students an opportunity to hone their advocacy skills in a
realistic and comprehensive securities dispute experience.
This first dispute resolution triathlon took place on Saturday,
October 17 and Sunday, October 18, 2009 at St. John's Manhattan
campus, located in Tribeca, the heart of innovation bordering the
world's financial center. Fourteen teams representing twelve
schools from seven states competed. Awards were given
for top scores in each of the three rounds—negotiation, mediation
and arbitration—as well as for the overall champion and the
“advocate’s choice award,” an award given to the team voted by
other teams as the one they would most like to work with in the
future.
The winning teams in the 2009 Triathlon were:
Negotiation - Seton Hall
Mediation – Florida
Arbitration – New York Law School
Overall Champion – St. John’s
Advocate’s Choice – Penn State
We invite law schools to compete in next year’s
competition. Information on the upcoming competition will be
posted on this site as it becomes available. Links at the
right provide additional detail about the format and rules for the
competition. We look forward to seeing you at the 2010
Securities Dispute Resolution Triathlon!