Dispute Resolution Society (DRS) Competitions   

Dispute Resolution Society Wins Negotiation Title
at St. John’s Securities Dispute Resolution Triathlon, October 17, 2009

New York, NY – Three students from the Seton Hall Law School Dispute Resolution Society captured the Negotiation title in the inaugural St. John’s University Law School Securities Dispute Resolution Triathlon. The event was co-sponsored by FINRA, the nation’s pre-eminent securities dispute resolution provider, and the St. John’s University Hugh L. Carey Center for Dispute Resolution.

Joseph Gehrke (’11), Dave Kurtz (’11) and Derrick Upchurch (’11) bested squads from American University, Duquesne University, Fordham University, Harvard University, New York Law School, Pace University, Penn State University, Quinnipiac University, South Texas College of Law, St. John’s University, and the University of Florida.

A pioneering initiative in the field of dispute resolution, the Triathlon promotes the development of advocacy skills within the disciplines of negotiation, mediation and arbitration. During the first two events, three-person teams demonstrate principled negotiation in the roles of settlement counsel, attorney and client. In the adjudicative event, claimants and respondents present the merits of their respective cases through opening statements, direct- and cross-examinations and summations. This year’s fact pattern involved claims of unsuitable investments, an unauthorized sales solicitation and the registered representative’s failure to know the customer.

“We are extremely proud of Joe, Dave and Derrick,” stated Interschool Competition Faculty Advisor Professor David Michael White. “The Securities Triathlon brought together some of the premier interschool competition programs in the nation. The win serves notice that significant accomplishments are on the horizon.”

Professor Kevin Kelly, Director of the Dispute Resolution Society, reflected on the significance of the negotiation title: “This victory is a strong start out of the box. The team’s proven ability to utilize their honed dispute resolution skills will serve us well in future competitions, but more important, these skills will put our students ahead of the curve in their abilities to represent clients as future attorneys."