THE DEN — Mercer University School of Law third-year students Michael Downing and Bryce Everett won the American Bar Association (ABA) Law Student Division Negotiation Competition. This is the first time Mercer Law School has won the national competition. Downing and Everett advanced to nationals after winning the Regional Negotiation Competition in November. The competition simulates legal negotiations in which law students, acting as lawyers, negotiate a series of legal problems. The simulations consist of a common set of facts known by all participants and confidential information known only to the participants representing a particular side. All of the simulations deal with the same general topic, but the negotiation situation varies with each round and level of the competition. “Mercer Law is committed to supporting students from law school admission to bar admission,” said Interim Dean Karen J. Sneddon. “Our renewed and strategic focus on the advocacy program reinforces this commitment and develops and refines a range of lawyering skills. This competition success is a result of hours of dedication from the strong competitors, the supportive coaches and an innovative director of advocacy.”