Congratulations to Kassandra Casanova (2L) and Mohannud Mohammad (3L) of the FIU Law Negotiation & Meditation Team for their victory at the ABA Regional Negotiation Competition that took place on November 10 and November 11. The competition, conducted online through Zoom, was hosted by Seattle University School of Law. Twenty-six teams competed in the preliminary rounds, with the top four teams advancing to the final round.
Kassandra and Mohannud were 2-0 in the Preliminary Rounds. Their team was one of only four teams to advance to the final round. They made it a clean sweep, 3-0, by winning the Final Round of the Competition. Kassandra and Mohannud now advance to the ABA Negotiation National Finals, to be held on February 2-3, 2024 in Chicago, and where the top ABA negotiation teams from around the country will compete.
A second FIU Law team, formed by Jessica Riveiro (3L) and Tabitha Barsimantov (2L), was also 2-0 in the Preliminary Rounds and finished sixth overall.
The commitment from the Negotiation and Mediation Team members and supporters cannot go unnoticed. The team would like to thank Dean Page and Professor Walter for their support. Additionally, the team also wants to recognize Deidra Rogers, who not only helped the teams prepare, but was also ready to compete as an alternate, as well as our student coaches, NAMT Co-Presidents Maria Paula Molano and Xan Taylor, E-Board members Pierce Monroe, Sophia Polo, Brennan Schmitz, and Andrea Fuentes, Team members Andrew Smith and Yaniri Salazar, and all the members who served as opposing counsel.
The teams were also coached by alumnae Yanina Onyewenjo (J.D. 2022) and Leydi Arboleda (J.D. 2023) and Professor Delionado. In addition to supporting our teams during this competition, Yanina and Leydi generously volunteered their time to judge our Intramural Negotiation Competition.