Zina Scott (left) and Ashton Butler placed third overall at the competition.
Zina Scott (left) and Ashton Butler placed third overall at the competition.

U of S team to compete in inaugural Canadian negotiation competition

Two teams from the University of Saskatchewan College of Law will participate in the First Annual Canadian National Negotiation Competition this weekend at the University of Manitoba.

After the American Bar Association made a decision that it would no longer accommodate Canadian schools in the American Bar Association (ABA) Regional Negotiation Competitions, several Canadian law schools entered into discussions to replace the ABA regional competition with a Canadian competition. This will allow a Canadian team to advance to the International Negotiation Competition where in recent years, Canadian law schools have had a record of success.

The Canadian National Negotiation Competition provides a means for law students to practice and improve their negotiating skills. The competition simulates legal negotiations in which law students, acting as lawyers, negotiate a series of legal problems. The simulations deal with the same general topic, but the negotiation situation varies with each round and level of the competition. The winners of the CNNC are eligible to advance to the 2017 International Negotiation Competition co‐hosted by the Norwegian Association of Lawyers, the University of Oslo, and others June 26 to July 1, 2017 in Oslo, Norway. 

The event will begin with a welcome reception at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights on Friday and conclude with an awards dinner on Saturday. Students Aaron Fritzler, Joe Fingerote, Ashton Butler and Zina Scott will represent the U of S along with Associate Professor Michaela Keet (coach). The U of S teams are sponsored in part by Dentons.

Update: After the preliminary rounds, the two U of S teams claimed two of the top four spots in the competition. Ashton and Zina ended up third in the rankings, and Joe and Aaron a close fourth.  A total of 12 teams competed in this inaugural event, and with Manitoba acting as warm hosts, it was a great success. (March 8, 2017)