Tulane Law ADR team wins William & Mary Law competition

Tulane Law School’s Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Team took the top spot in the William & Mary Law School Negotiation Competition held March 1-2.

Tulane’s team – second-year law students Ke’ala Brosseau and Corina DeFeo – defeated Southwestern Law School (Los Angeles) to take first place in the tournament. Their coaches are third-year law students Annie Cleveland and Sanjay Das.

“We could not have done this without the support of the entire ADR team, and especially our coach, Annie Cleveland,” said DeFeo. “Even though we were over 1,000 miles away, we could feel our entire team cheering us on from afar.”

The tournament consisted of four rounds of negotiations over two days in Williamsburg, Va. Brosseau and DeFeo bested 35 other teams to become tournament champions.  It was Tulane’s first time competing in this tournament.

The first two negotiations were centered on a contract dispute, while the semifinal and final round negotiations concerned personal injury litigation. Before the final round on both days, competitors were given new facts to work with, requiring them to pivot negotiation strategies under pressure.

Tournament judges praised Tulane Law’s competitors for their poise, quick thinking, and ability to creatively problem-solve. The ADR Team is completely student-run and student-coached.