The Chicago-Kent College of Law team of Michael Brew ’19 and Presley Valenzuela ’18 won the ABA Negotiation Competition’s Region 7 tournament, held November 10 and 11 at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis. Brew and Valenzuela will join teams from nine other regions at the national finals February 2 and 3, 2018, during the ABA Midyear Meeting in Chicago.

From left: Justin Taylor, Imani-Ari Asanté, Presley Valenzuela, and Michael Brew.

Another Chicago-Kent team excelled at competition. Imani-Ari Asanté ’19 and Justin Taylor ’19 finished in third place. Twenty teams competed in the regional tournament.

Sponsored by the ABA Law Student Division, the Negotiation Competition promotes greater interest among law students in legal negotiation and provides a means for them 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.

Brew graduated with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Trinity University in San Antonio. Valenzuela earned a B.A. degree in law and society from Purdue University. Taylor graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a B.A. in economics. Asanté majored in political science and government at Purdue University.

The Chicago-Kent teams were coached by alumni and former ADR team members Jennie Balkas ’16, Michael Barnes ’14, Kevin Doran ’15 and LL.M. ’17, Gerena Gregory ’16, Evelyn Hernandez ’16, David McKenzie ’14, Rory Quinn ’15 and David Springer ’17. Jenifer Robbins served as faculty advisor.