Newton, MA—First-year students Chris Floyd and Sameer Sheikh competed at the Nationals of the ABA Negotiation Competition last weekend in Atlanta, where they advanced to the semifinals, and just missed becoming finalists. The only first-year students to compete out of 24 teams, they earned a ranking of seventh in the nation.

Scoring higher than their opponent in every round, Floyd and Sheikh were “creative, smart, flexible, and compassionate in their negotiating,” said BC Law clinical professor and team advisor Paul Tremblay. “I'm very proud of them. I overheard one of the judges say he was 'in awe' of the team’s performance after observing their negotiation."

Although Floyd and Sheikh won every round they were in, some judges ranked a team from a separate negotiation higher, which explains why Floyd and Sheikh did not advance to the finals. “They deserved an even higher finish,” Tremblay said.

Floyd and Sheikh spent several months preparing for both the Regional and National Competition, receiving support from faculty, students, and alumni.

The Negotiation Competition is an opportunity for students to explore a variety of negotiation styles and to hone their strategic and communication skills by simulating legal negotiations. In each round of competition, two teams are presented with a series of legal problems to work out on behalf of theoretical clients. The teams compete under tight time constraints and are tested at their ability to quickly assess the interests of their client and adversary as well as showcase effective communication.