Alternative Dispute Resolution Society

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Spring 2009 Mediation Competition Summary

This competition acquaints law student participants with advocacy skills required for attorney representation of clients in mediation. The judging criteria rewards participants who effectively combine advocacy skills with a problem-solving approach. Teams compete for membership into the ADR Society, and the final winning team earns the opportunity to compete in the Regional ABA Mediation Advocacy Competition in February 2010.

Eligible Competitors: 1L and 2L University of Richmond Law Students

Team Composition: Each team consists of two students, with one student acting as the lawyer and the other acting as the client for the first round. Roles will be reversed for the subsequent rounds, excluding the Final Round, where team members shall decide for themselves, who will act as client and who will act as attorney. There will be no changing of partners at any time during the competition.

Format: During each round, teams will mediate an assigned problem with a mediator. Two judges will be provided for each round, with one judge serving as a facilitative mediator. Each round will last approximately 90 minutes. This includes 60 minutes of mediation followed by a 10 minute period, which allows each team to analyze its performance with both judges, outside of the other team’s presence. During mediation, each team may take one 10 minute caucus and one 5 minute break. Timekeeping responsibility rests with the competitors.

Dates: Each team member must be available to compete should they advance every round. Each team member must sign an “Intent to Compete” form.

Round 1	February 3, 2009, 6pm & 8pm
Round 2	February 5, 2009, 6pm & 8pm
Round 3	February 10, 2009, 6pm & 8pm
FINAL ROUND	February 12, 2009, 7pm Mediated by Dean Douglass Judged by Prof. Ann Hodges and Adjunct Prof. Geetha Ravindra Moot Court Room

Team Entry: The first 16 teams to sign up via e-mail will be entered. Each team must send 1 e-mail to mary.hallerman@richmond.edu starting at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, January 26, 2009. Please include the name of both team members along with the day and time of your law skills sections and/or any night classes.

Preparation: Prior to each round, the mediation problem will be released to each competitor. There will be a different problem for each round. Please note that there is no written brief component of the competition, but some legal research may be helpful to understanding the basic elements of your legal position. Competitors are encouraged to consult the following links and texts to learn more about the type of collaborative problem-solving behavior this competition seeks to promote:

Robert Mnookin, Beyond Winning: Negotiating to Create Value in Deals and Disputes (2000)
Harold I. Abramson, Mediation Representation: Advocating in a Problem-Solving Process (2004)
John W. Cooley, Mediation Advocacy (1996)

Competition Rules: This competition adheres to the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution Representation in Mediation Competition Rules, unless otherwise stated above. Competitors should read these Rules and Instructions: http://www.abanet.org/dispute/mediationcomp.html.

ADRS seeks to build relationships between students, professors, and practitioners in the disciplines of mediation, arbitration, and other dispute resolution processes. As a student-run organization, ADRS promotes the development of arbitration and mediation skills for Richmond law students and the interested legal community. Intra-scholastic mediation and arbitration competitions provide a forum for students to develop ADR skills. ADR Board Members may go on to represent the University of Richmond in national and international competitions. ADRS also hosts annual CLEs to introduce the community to the growing importance of alternatives to traditional litigation.