March 12, 2012
Over 70 first-year students recently took the opportunity to
build and showcase their advocacy skills as participants in the
Dispute Resolution Society’s (DRS) Spring Internal Negotiation
Competition. The 36 teams competing in the all-day event engaged in
mock settlement negotiations for a fictional client based on a
hypothetical fact pattern. The negotiation rounds were judged by
jurists volunteering from across the tri-state area. Representing a
range of practice areas, these dispute resolution professionals
brought an exceptional level of authenticity and insight to the
event.
In the competition’s well-attended final round, Shane Malone ’14
and Michael Glucker ’14 faced off against Edda Santiago ’14 and Ana
Rojas ’14. After an intense negotiation, the panel of judges ―
practitioners Abigail Mattaro ‘09, Donald Clark ’71 and Dennis
Lynch and St. John’s School of Law Professor
Paul F. Kirgis ― declared Edda and Ana the winners. Reflecting
on the experience, Ana said: “As a participant in the negotiation
competition, I learned to develop different negotiation strategies
that would help me achieve the client's goal and learned to listen
carefully to the other side to find areas of agreement and
disagreement. I discovered very quickly that a good deal is
meaningless unless it is in accord with the client's ultimate
goals.”
Under the guidance of Professor Kirgis and Professor
Elayne E. Greenberg ― the Faculty Chair and Director,
respectively, of
The Hugh L. Carey Center for Dispute Resolution―DRS introduces
students to a variety of alternatives to litigation, including
negotiation, mediation and arbitration. The rising interest and
increased participation in DRS can be attributed to the boost in
awareness that most disputes are not decided by judges and juries.
Over 98% of all conflicts are settled in some form of dispute
resolution. Many of the methods explored are less costly and more
efficient than litigation. Being equipped to handle disputes in
different forums is an extremely valuable skill and students who
graduate with knowledge of these skills are at a tremendous
advantage when they reach the professional world.
DRS hosts a number of events throughout the year and sends its
external competitions team to local, national and international
competitions. In 2011, a DRS team tied for third place in a field
of 260 teams from 65 countries at the 18th Annual Willem C. Vis
International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna. “Getting
involved with DRS, has been the highlight of my legal education,”
said Ross Kartez ‘12, the 2011-12 Executive Co-Director of Internal
Competitions for DRS. “I expected to come to law school and learn
to fight for my clients and argue in the courtroom. But after
exploring conflicts through St. John's course-offerings and
participating in DRS, I understand that there are much better ways
to resolve disputes outside of the courtroom. As a member of the
external competitions team, I recently participated in the ICC
Mediation Competition in Paris, France. I witnessed first-hand that
law students all over the world are learning to be more efficient
in resolving disputes and achieving more amicable outcomes.”