The first weekend of December, the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law’s National Negotiation Team, consisting of Zoraya Gappmaier, Bebe Grill, Shane Smith and Natalie Streeter, traveled to and participated in the ABA Regional Negotiation Competition at Boston College Law School. Over 20 teams from across the nation competed in the Boston region. Each of the College of Law’s teams participated in two rounds of competitive negotiation on Saturday, December 1st.
Team coach Jess Krannich, a 2005 College of Law graduate, said, “I want to congratulate Zoraya, Bebe, Shane and Natalie for their exceptional professionalism, hard work, and skill. Our teams represented the school well, besting each of their competitors substantively and stylistically. In each round, our teams were able to negotiate a substantially more favorable outcome for our client than we had anticipated. This was a result of both the students’ quick thinking and flexibility, and also the tremendous amount of time they spent preparing and strategizing for every possible scenario.”
Krannich added that he believes the team members demonstrated a vast range of negotiation skills: “While we did not advance to the semifinals (only 4 teams did), our students brought their A game and were excellent ambassadors for the College of Law. Zoraya, Bebe, Shane and Natalie worked as hard as I can imagine over the course of the semester, dedicating at least double the amount of time expected of them to prepare for this competition. Through their efforts, they developed a tremendous set of skills and became expert negotiators. The school should be proud of these exceptional students.”