Fordham Law’s Dispute Resolution Society will seek to continue its impressive spring with a strong showing next week at the ABA National Mediation Competition in New York City.
The 2L team of Elizabeth Perez and Emily Safko will compete in nationals after winning an all-Fordham final at the ABA Regional Mediation Competition on February 27 in Quinnipiac, Connecticut. Fellow 2L team Rachel Orbach and Katey Peardon finished second. 3L Denise Arana coached both teams.
Also this spring, the Dispute Resolution Society advanced to the elimination rounds of competitions in Chicago, Paris, and Hong Kong, and hosted 100 arbitrators and more than 225 students to practice for the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot.
These successes are due, in large part, to the work of Fordham Law Professor Jacqueline Nolan-Haley and past competitors who volunteer their time as 3Ls to coach and support the team’s 2L competitors, said 3L Cora Walker, chair of the society.
“Both domestically and internationally, more clients are turning to mediation, negotiation, and arbitration as alternatives to the traditional court systems to resolve disputes,” Walker said. “Fordham’s Dispute Resolution Society is teaching students the skills they need to be successful in this growing field.”
These skills include the ability to negotiate effectively and be a successful advocate for clients whether in mediation, where a business or personal relationship might be key, or in an arbitration setting, where the existing contractual relationship has failed, Walker added.
The Dispute Resolution Society also enjoyed twin successes this spring at the International Academy of Dispute Resolution’s International Law School Competition in Chicago. Both teams reached the semifinals and the School also claimed fifth-best team mediator.
Internationally, Fordham advanced to the eighth-finals at the ICC International Mediation Competition in Paris, beating 50 of the 66 teams, and the round of 32 at the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Hong Kong in March, beating over 80 teams and winning an Honorable Mention for Best Claimants Brief.
On February 20–21, the Dispute Resolution Society, led by co-editors Rima Pancholi and Allison Silverman, hosted the Tenth Annual Fordham Vis Pre-Moot. Teams from 43 universities, including competitors from Japan and Switzerland, came to Fordham to hone advocacy skills and refine arguments in preparation for the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot.