For the second year in a row, a team from Cumberland advanced to the National Finals of the American Bar Association Law Student Division Negotiation Competition.  The competition took place February 3^rd and 4^th in Chicago at the ABA Headquarters.  Cumberland was represented by Kevin Bufford (3L) and Jacey Mann (2L).  This was Bufford’s second trip to the National Finals.  Bufford and Mann went up against teams from the University of Houston and the University of Georgia in the preliminary rounds and advanced to the semi-final round, where they faced competition from Western New England School of Law. 

The National Negotiation Team is getting accustomed to success.  Not only was this the second year in a row that a Cumberland team reached the National Finals, but it was also the third time in the last four years - and each of those teams advanced to the semi-finals of the National competition.  Additionally, the last two years Cumberland had two teams advance to the final round of their regional competition, with Bufford and Mann winning their region this year.

The ABA Law Student Division Negotiation Competition starts in the fall with over 200 teams competing in 10 regions.  The top 20 teams advance to the National Finals.  The semi-finals consist of the top 16 teams after the preliminary rounds, with the top 4 from the semi-finals advancing to the championship round.  This year’s team was coached by Brian Turner (’95), with assistance from April MacLennan (’14) and Rachel Cobble (’16).  Members of the team are selected in the fall from the Henry C. Strickland Negotiation Competition.