University of Montana School of Law negotiation competition team members (L-R) Elizabeth Musick, Klaus Sitte, Samir Aarab, Covey Morris, Clare Hansen, Christine Brauer and Paul Adam.
A University of Montana School of Law team advanced to the final round during the American Bar Association-sponsored Law School Regional Negotiation Competition on Nov. 3-4 in Eugene, Ore.
University of Oregon School of Law hosted the Region 10 event, which included law students from schools throughout the Northwest and western Canada. Three California schools also competed this year.
After earning the best score in the opening sessions, UM team members Covey Morris, a third-year law student from Salt Lake City, Utah, and Clare Hansen, a two-year law student from Tofte, Minn., advanced to a final-round appearance on Sunday, Nov. 4.
“With 24 teams competing, we knew the final round was going to be much harder,” said Hansen. “It was a wonderful learning experience, especially for the new team members.”
The focus of the competition was small business ventures. The UM teams represented individual clients seeking to create partnerships or franchises between two competing parties. Succeeding rounds overlaid the discussions with increasingly complex issues and disputes.
Beginning in early September, team coach Klaus Sitte helped prepare the UM teams for the competition. Sitte is director of students at the UM School of Law. He has coached the school’s negotiation team since 1991, with five teams competing at the national level and one team competing at the international level. UM teams have placed second and third nationally, and 16 teams have advanced to the regional final round.
“It’s great to see the hard work pay off with another final-round appearance for the UM School of Law,” Brauer said.
Clare Hansen is the daughter of Bill and Cindy Hansen of Tofte. She is a 2006 graduate of Cook County High School.
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