December 19, 2016

Negotiation Team Earns Second Place at Regional Competition

Last month, at the ABA Regional Negotiation Competition in San Diego, Southwestern’s team of Blanca Martinez and Nolan Scarr finished in Second Place out of 16 participating teams. They defeated competitors from the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Chapman, and in the final round, California Western School of Law. Their outstanding performance earned them a spot at the national competition in Chicago, where they will compete in February.

Scarr said that preparation was key to the team’s success. “We took the time to practice weeks in advance, so we knew the problem very well,” he said. “When it came time to compete, we stayed calm and were confident in our preparation.”

The team negotiated three problems. The first negotiation was about securing a contract between the CEO of a natural grocery store chain and a makeup company in order to create a natural makeup line. The second negotiation was about a model looking to renew a yearly contract with a makeup company. The final round involved an issue between the makeup company and a company that sells ingredients to the makeup company. It centered on a dispute where protocol wasn’t followed, which resulted in a product recall.