White Plains, NY, March 17, 2004 —Pace Law School’s competitive negotiation team, fresh from beating 180 other law schools in the annual Negotiation Competition sponsored by the American Bar Association’s student division, will represent the ABA and the United States in the international negotiating competition in Paris on July 7 through 10.

The announcement was made by David Cohen, dean of the school, after the team’s victory in the final U.S. rounds held February 7 and 8 during the ABA Midyear Meeting in San Antonio. This is the second time in two years that a Pace Law team has won an ABA competition.

The competition emphasized the importance of negotiation in resolving disputes and structuring transactions. Opposing teams of students, acting as lawyers, negotiate a client problem or transaction and reach a mutually accepted resolution. Teams are judged by appellate and Supreme Court judges on their style, strategy, outcome, and a self-assessment by the students.

The theme of this year’s competition was "Sports Law." Students negotiated such issues as employment contracts, endorsement agreements, television broadcasting rights, and liability related to a fictional student injury at a training camp sponsored by a professional sports team.

Pace Law School’s winning team was composed of third year student Michael Maggi of Astoria, New York and second year student Robert Stout of Congers, New York. Their faculty advisor was professor Louis Fasulo, a 1983 graduate who directs the Trial Advocacy Program.

Maggi said, "I feel extremely proud to represent the ABA and the United States in the International competition and look forward to another successful experience." Cohen attributed the win to the team’s "hard work and professional performance" and the "dedication and teaching prowess of Fasulo."

With more than 50,000 members, the ABA Law Student Division is the largest professional student organization in the United States. The division provides students with opportunities for legal education, professional skills development and career counsel. Each year the division sponsors three competitions: the National Appellate Advocacy Competition, the Client Counseling Competition and the Negotiation Competition.

The American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership association in the world. With more than 400,000 members, the ABA provides law school accreditation, continuing legal education, information about the law, programs to assist lawyers and judges in their work, and initiatives to improve the legal system for the public.

Founded in 1976, Pace Law School is a New York Law School with a suburban campus in White Plains, N.Y., 20 miles north of New York City. Part of Pace University, the school offers the J.D. program for full-time and part-time day and evening students. Its postgraduate program includes the LL.M. and S.J.D. degrees in Environmental Law and an LL.M. in Comparative Legal Studies. Pace has one of the nation's top-rated Environmental Law programs and its Clinical Education program also is nationally ranked, offering clinics in domestic violence prosecution, environmental law, securities arbitration, criminal justice and disability rights. www.law.pace.edu 

Pace is a comprehensive, independent university with campuses in New York City, Pleasantville and White Plains, NY and a Hudson Valley Center at Stewart International Airport in New Windsor, NY. More than 14,000 students are enrolled in undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs in the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Lubin School of Business, School of Computer Science and Information Systems, School of Education, Lienhard School of Nursing and Pace Law School. www.pace.edu