Eric Leander '11, James Weiss '11 and Scott Smith '12 recently competed in a rigorous Securities Dispute Resolution Triathlon against 21 other teams in New York City. They were assisted in preparation by alternate Peter Doro ‘12.
The triathlon combines negotiation, mediation and arbitration in one competition, as students play the roles of parties and attorneys in a realistic securities dispute. Twenty-two teams representing 17 law schools competed in the event, with 100 professional neutrals from FINRA's roster serving as mediators, arbitrators and judges.
The Second Annual Securities Dispute Resolution Triathlon was hosted by the Hugh L. Carey Center for Dispute Resolution at St. John's Law School and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) at St. John's Manhattan campus.
The students' coach, Professor Joan Stearns Johnsen, said "We negotiated very favorable settlements in both of the negotiation rounds and were awarded an equally good result for our 'client' in the arbitration round. From speaking with other competitors, it appeared that many teams did not reach agreement in their negotiations. Our team represented the school exceptionally well and had there been an actual client, he would have been very pleased."