Newark, N.J. - The Seton Hall School of Law Negotiation Team, consisting of Nicole Cooper, of Ridgewood, a third year student, and Rachel Bayar, of West Orange, a second year student, placed First in the Regional Round of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Negotiation Competition held at Cardozo School of Law in New York earlier this month.

Twenty teams from 10 law schools took part in the competition held Nov. 4-5. Law schools participating in the competition consisted of Seton Hall, Albany, Brooklyn, Fordham, New York Law, Pace, St. John's, Syracuse, Touro and Cardozo.

“This is the first year Seton Hall Law has competed in this program, and we’re delighted by the strong performance of Nicole and Rachel in this highly respected competition,” said Professor Kevin Kelly, coach for the Seton Hall Law team.

The Negotiation Competition requires law students to negotiate a series of legal problems, allowing them to practice and improve their negotiating skills. This year’s competition focuses on the area of family law. The Seton Hall Law team now will head to Los Angeles in February to compete in the finals, held in conjunction with the ABA’s mid-year meeting.

In another strong showing, Nicole Gerritsen, of Jefferson Township, and Jonathan Henry, of North Arlington, both third-year law students at Seton Hall Law, finished Second Place Overall and won the award for Best Brief in the National Health Law Moot Court Competition held Nov. 9-10. The team competed against South Texas College of Law in the final round. Prior to the final round, the team successfully argued in five elimination rounds against such law schools as Wake Forest University School of Law and Chicago-Kent University School of Law.

The competition, held at Southern Illinois University School of Law in Carbondale, Illinois Nov. 9-10, fielded 30 teams from 22 law schools from across the country. Gerritsen and Henry were awarded $750 for their second place win. In addition, the team received a $500 scholarship for their Best Brief award. The brief will be published in the American Journal of Legal Medicine.

Each of the students is a member of the Interscholastic Moot Court Board at Seton Hall School of Law, an organization dedicated to competing nationally in appellate moot court competitions. The team was coached by Seton Hall Law graduate and veteran Moot Court Board member Melissa Natale, Esq., an associate at the law firm of Schwartz Simon Edelstein Celso & Kessler, LLC. The board is run under the direction of Professor Jodi Anne Hudson.

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Editors Note: Photos are available of the Seton Hall Law teams by contacting Kathleen Brunet Eagan at 973-642-8724, or eagankat@shu.edu.

The only private law school in New Jersey, Seton Hall University School of Law was founded in 1951, and is located in the city of Newark. Seton Hall Law School offers both day and evening programs leading to the Juris Doctor (J.D.), Master of Laws (LL.M.) and Master of Science in Jurisprudence (M.S.J.) degrees. For more information on Seton Hall Law School, visit law.shu.edu.