The firm announces the winners of the second Transactional Law Competition. Forty-four Wayne State University Law School students competed in the Nov. 1, 2019 event, an innovative, live-round competition, which is part of a course at Wayne State University Law School. The event was created by Wayne State University Law School graduate Justin Hanna in 2018 under the tutelage and supervision of Professor Eric Zacks.

The Transactional Law Competition helps students develop drafting, negotiation and counseling skills, with two-member teams representing a buyer and seller involved in a complex acquisition. Students work on drafting and revising for several weeks and the live competition brings the team together for two rounds of competition. The panel of judges – composed of 21 attorneys – offers feedback after each round. The event serves as a platform for students to develop transactional law skills in a practical environment and to receive real-time feedback from professionals.

The winners from the negotiation rounds will represent Wayne State Law School at the spring iteration of the Transactional Law Competition which incorporates additional law schools in a regional competition. Winners also receive a scholarship award from the Business Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan.

Ten attorneys served as judges for the competition: Joel Alam, Gabriel Appel, Jyotsna Balakrishnan, Joshua Borson, John Decker, Robert Gordon, Justin Hanna, Sara Kruse, Christopher Moceri and Peter Sugar.

“In our second year of sponsorship support for the competition, we are energized by the outstanding performance of the student competitors and their demonstration of impressive, newfound negotiation skills,” said Partner Peter Sugar. “The opportunity to provide students a forum to exercise practical skills provides benefit to students and also to employers seeking talent. It is an ideal partnership.”

The winners of the competition included:

Negotiations (seller’s counsel) and Drafting (seller’s counsel):
George Cobane & Nicholas Stock

Negotiations (buyers counsel):
Scott Carter & Brandon Corcoran

Drafting (buyer’s counsel):
Jackson Buday & Kelsey Postema