Chapman Law placed first at the Twelfth Annual International Law School Mediation Tournament hosted by the International Academy of Dispute Resolution (INADR) in Dublin, Ireland. When the first place team was announced on March 15, 2013, the Chapman Law team received a standing ovation. “It was a huge deal,” said Professor David Dowling who helped coached the teams, “I am extremely proud of our law students and how they represented Chapman.”

Ireland coast

Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

After getting the rare opportunity to travel to Ireland to compete in the INADR Competition, bringing home the top team award for mediation was the icing on the cake. Our two teams of Melissa Bohl (3L), Britni Falter (3L), and Amanda Singer (3L) and Brett Swenson (3L), Austin Underhill (3L), and Clay O’Neal (2L) competed against 36 teams from the U.S. and around the world including Ireland, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Australia, and India.

Melissa, Britni and Amanda placed first in the entire competition. “It was great getting the opportunity to meet and work with law students from all over the world. In addition to having the chance to co-mediate with other students we had the chance to learn more about the legal system in other countries,” said Amanda.

The schools from other countries were impressed by our students and made a point to say so. “Teams came up to us after we won to tell us that our students were professional, prepared and deserved to win,” said Professor Dowling.  In winning this award, Chapman also competed against domestic law schools such as Cornell, Northeastern and UC Hastings.

In addition to the top team mediation award, our team of Brett, Austin, and Clay brought home two awards–a third place individual award for advocacy for Austin and Clay, and a fifth place team award for advocacy. Our team of Melissa, Britni, and Amanda brought home the 9th place individual award for advocacy for Melissa and Amanda, and an 8th place team award for advocacy.

After coming back from Ireland, Amanda reflected about the meaning of this competition and she emphasized the valuable practical skills she has attained. “Melissa, Britni and myself have all taken mediation with Professor Dowling and we were able to use the skills we had learned from him to help us win the competition,” she said.

This tremendous accomplishment could not have been possible without the support and guidance of our coaches, Professor Nancy Schultz and Professor David Dowling.