MINNEAPOLIS and CHICAGO, February 12, 2009—www.adrforum.com—The National Arbitration Forum and the American Bar Association Law Student Division today announced that Chapman University School of Law won the 2008-2009 National Arbitration Competition. The national champion team advanced from the regional finals in November 2008 and went on to prevail over 14 teams in the national finals in January 2009. This two-part competition involved 43 teams, including 172 law students from 31 ABA-approved law schools, who participated in a mock arbitration hearing about a breach of contract dispute arising in a political election campaign.

“Each year that I am involved with the competition I have been more impressed by the students’ abilities and skills as advocates,” said Adam Towe, a law student from Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law, who participated in last year’s competition and also serves as the competition’s national student director.

Complete results for the 2008-2009 National Arbitration Competition:

National Champion Team: Brett Corson, Arlinda Witko, Jimmy Blalock, and Meghan O'Brien, representing Chapman University School of Law in Orange, Calif.

National Finalist Team: Cole Bradbury, Carly Duvall, Jeffrey McCarther, and Claire McGuire, representing University of Missouri Columbia School of Law in Columbia, Mo.

Third Place Team: Alana Odom, William Murray, Bridget Hillebrand, and G. Adam Savoie, representing Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center in Baton Rouge, La.

Fourth Place Team: Robert Bass, Meredith Bentley, Jessica Durrett, and Geoffrey Rooker, representing University of Oklahoma College of Law in Norman, Okla.

The National Arbitration Competition, one of four lawyering skills competitions coordinated each year by the ABA Law Student Division, provides law students with the opportunity to participate in a mock legal dispute with professional arbitrators and lawyers judging the hearings. Coached by law professors, the students prepare and present their cases from start to finish, including opening statements, witness examinations, exhibit introductions, evidentiary presentations, and summations.

For more information about this past event or participating in future events, please contact the National Arbitration Forum (Christina Doucet, 952-516-6486, media[at]adrforum.com) or the ABA Law Student Division (Peggy Pissarreck, 312-988-5621, pissarrm[at]staff.abanet.org).