The Fordham Law Dispute Resolution Society (DRS) traveled to locales as far as France, Georgia, and Hong Kong this past year to compete and earn awards in prestigious international dispute resolution competitions and hone their oral advocacy skills.
The Society’s excellence in international competitions has helped Fordham Law achieve a 12th-place national ranking in the 2025 edition of U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Law Schools” specialty rankings. The student-run organization enables a select group of second- and third-year law students to develop practical skills in oral advocacy, brief writing, research, negotiation, mediation, and arbitration through rigorous preparation, practice, and competition.
“I am so proud of our DRS competition teams this year. Their energy, enthusiasm and commitment to Fordham have been inspiring,” said Professor Jacqueline Nolan-Haley, director of the Dispute Resolution Program. “Not only do they work extremely hard themselves, but they generously support each other in practice rounds and feedback sessions. The success of DRS this year and over the last 25 years is due to the selfless efforts of its members, and it is a privilege for me to work with these students.”
Fordham’s Conflict Prevention and Resolution Mediation team, composed of Aaron Fenhagen ’26, Maggie Franzreb ’26, Kate Kennedy ’26, Raya Machaca ’26, and Sterling Sidebottom ’26, along with supporting team members and coach Cat Gilham ’25, competed in the International Mediation Competition in Sao Paulo, Brazil in April. After spending the spring semester preparing for the competition, the team faced more than 20 other competitors from around the world. The case the team tackled had to do with the dissolution of a joint-business venture between two airline companies, and their collaboration secured them an impressive second-place finish for Best Teamwork after advancing to the quarterfinals.
The Law School’s InterNational Academy of Dispute Resolution (INADR) team, composed of Dawn Edelman ’26, Alejandro Karjeker ’26, Nata Mushkudiani ’26, and their coach Amanda Cooper ’25, competed in the International Law School Mediation Tournament in Tbilisi, Georgia. Out of 21 schools and 63 students present at the competition, all members of the INADR team managed to land a top-10 spot. Edelman and Karjeker secured the second place top advocate/client team award for a case related to an energy company hoping to set up a wind farm and receiving pushback from local community groups.
“I was proud of our team and felt good representing Fordham when our team won awards across each of the major categories,” said Karjeker, who also took third place in the mediator category. “I’ve always been a positive sum kind of guy, so getting involved with the Dispute Resolution Society seemed like a no-brainer for me. Mediating through two to three conflicts a week solidified mediation as another tool in my arsenal for resolving conflict. And getting to compete in Tbilisi was a nice bonus.”
Fordham Law also sent teams to both the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna, Austria, and its sister competition, the Vis East Moot in Hong Kong. The Vis bench team, which is responsible for writing briefs for the oralists, received an honorable mention at the Vis East competition, while oralists for Vis East advanced to the knockout elimination rounds and finished among the top 32 teams out of a total of nearly 1000 students. In Vienna, the Vis West oralists delivered compelling performances, with Milo Young ’26 receiving an honorable mention commendation for outstanding oral advocacy.
“These achievements reflect the dedication and skill of DRS members, as well as the strength of Fordham Law’s dispute resolution curriculum,” said Christian Suglia ’25, outgoing DRS chairperson and editor-in-chief. “Through rigorous preparation and committed mentorship, the program continues to develop advocates equipped with the practical skills necessary for success in global legal practice.”