WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 18, 2012 — The American Bar Association Law Student Division is seeking 85 lawyers and judges to evaluate the negotiation skills of the top 24 law student teams from across the country and Canada that are participating in the Negotiation Competition National Finals during the ABA Midyear Meeting, Feb. 8-9 at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas.

“The ‘art’ of negotiation is an acquired skill, not solely obtained from books, lectures, videos or advice,” said Thomas E. Loehn, a Louisiana lawyer and judge of previous ABA negotiation competitions. “To assist [law students] in obtaining those achievements is, in and of itself, rewarding.”

Volunteers do not need previous competition judging experience, nor expertise in the subject matter. The competition final rounds will take place Feb. 8–9 between 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 2 – 6 p.m. on both days. Competition lawyers are asked to select their specific round of interest and supply their contact information here.

The top 24 law student teams from across the country will compete to resolve a small business ventures dispute and negotiate an agreement based on the general facts about the situation and their client’s confidential information.

Lawyers and judges will evaluate the teams on how well they serve their clients’ needs. To learn more about how to become a competition judge, visit www.ambar.org/lsdncFinalsJudge.

The negotiation competition is one of four sponsored by the ABA Law Student Division. It promotes greater interest among law students in legal negotiation and provides a means for them to enhance their negotiating skills under the appraisal of practicing lawyers and judges from around the nation.

The ABA Law Student Division, with more than 43,000 members, is the largest professional student organization in the United States. The division provides law students with opportunities for legal education, professional skills development and career counsel. Each year the division sponsors four competitions: the Arbitration Competition, the Client Counseling Competition, the National Appellate Advocacy Competition and the Negotiation Competition.

With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world.  As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.