Published on October 20, 2025 by Morgan Black  
Parker Holliday
Ben Parker and Annebelle Holliday were named regional co-champions.

Cumberland School of Law’s Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) team earned top honors this weekend as co-champion of the American Bar Association’s Regional Negotiation Competition. The win secures the team’s spot in the National Negotiation Competition, which will be held in Chicago.

Third-year law students Ben Parker and Annabelle Holliday swept the preliminary rounds, winning all six judges’ ballots. Fellow third-year competitors Bethany Lee and Coby Hollins secured five out of six ballots. Both teams advanced to the final round, where Parker and Holliday were named co-champions of the regional event.

Second-year students Carson Jackson and McKenzie McCrory also represented Cumberland in the competition.

Dylan Martin, JD ’20, head negotiation coach, praised the team’s preparation and performance. “I could not be prouder of the tireless effort put forth by our competitors, coaches and team members,” Martin said. “We look forward to competing at the National Negotiation Competition in Chicago.”

negotiation team

The event, hosted by Cumberland School of Law, welcomed student competition teams from law schools across the country, including California and New York.

“Hosting a competition and competing the same weekend is a feat that requires the maximal commitment of everyone in our program,” said Ben Warren, JD ’18, director of ADR teams at Cumberland School of Law. “Thank you to all the coaches, students and judges who helped make this competition a resounding success.”

Cumberland School of Law is ranked No. 4 in the nation for trial advocacy by U.S. News & World Report and No. 2 in the national Gavel rankings. Cumberland is also ranked No. 6 in the nation in the American Bar Association’s top law school competition teams in arbitration, negotiation, client counseling, mediation and appellate advocacy.

GIVE: Support advocacy education at Cumberland School of Law.

 
Located in the Homewood suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford enrolls 6,324 students from 44 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford is widely recognized as having one of the most beautiful campuses in America, featuring rolling hills, meticulously maintained grounds and Georgian-Colonial architecture. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks with the second-highest score in the nation for its 98% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.