11/12/08--Boston College dominated the ABA's November Regional Negotiation Competition for New England, taking first and second place.

After weeks of intense preparation and dozens of hours of practice, first-year students Kate Billman-Golemme, Rob Hatfield, Kelly McLaughlin, and Mike Rohr negotiated their way to victory. The team prevailed against mainly upper class students on the opposing teams, as BC is one of the few schools that allows 1Ls to compete.

"They represented Boston College Law brilliantly as cooperative, interest-focused negotiators who knew precisely how to cut through a series of legally and factually complex elder law problems to find workable solutions," said faculty sponsor and clinical professor Alan Minuskin. "I was enormously proud of them well before we learned that they had won the competition. They were just amazing."

The Negotiation Competition enables students to explore different negotiation styles and perfect their strategic and communication skills. In each round of competition, two teams are presented with an issue to work out on behalf of theoretical clients.

The teams will go on to represent the New England region in the national competition at the ABA Midyear meeting in February in Boston.