Negotiation Honors Program | Southwestern Law School Southwestern Law School Los Angeles Southwestern formally established the Negotiation Honors Program in 2009 for students interested in either transactional or litigation practice. Through the program, students hone negotiating techniques and other alternative dispute resolution skills that they will use in practice. Learning these skills also helps students develop the confidence necessary to become effective advocates. Each team member receives three units for the year and participates in at least one competition. Southwestern’s Negotiation Honors program has been highly successful and has placed as one of the top teams in the country each year since its inception. "Each member of the Negotiation Honors Program sparred with us and/or watched our practice and gave us constructive feedback [before the National Competition]. The team as a whole is unbelievably dedicated." ~Timothy Sutton, Evening Program The official establishment of the Negotiation Honors Program coincided with the launch of Southwestern's Three-Track Legal Analysis, Writing, and Skills (LAWS) program. First-year students in any track can compete in an intramural competition, with top-performing students earning invitations to interview for the Negotiation Honors Program. A board of governors made up of experienced Negotiation team members coordinates both the intramural competition as well as the team’s competitions against other law schools throughout the country. Professor Sarah Schimmel and Professor April Macaraeg serve as Co-Directors. Negotiation Intramural Competition The Negotiation Honors Program's intramural competition is open to all first-year Full-time Day, Full-time Online, Part-time Day, Part-time Online, PLEAS, and SCALE I students who have completed the requirements of their LAWS II course and other students who will graduate after (rather than before) December of the year of the competition. The Negotiation Honors Program's intramural competition is not based on the same case file as used in the LAWS II Negotiation track and is not connected to the mandatory LAWS round. The intramural competition consists of five rounds of competition after the mandatory LAWS advocacy round has concluded: Intramural Round One (for all competitors) Octa-finals: top 16 teams Quarter-finals: top 8 teams Semi-finals: top 4 teams, 8 advocates Finals: top 2 teams, 4 advocates In the first rounds of the intramural competition, advocates negotiate as two-person teams. At the conclusion of the first round, the top sixteen teams (thirty-two advocates) are invited to compete in single elimination rounds. The top sixteen teams are chosen on the basis of score totals from the first intramural round. Only first-year students are selected to compete in the single elimination rounds. Sixteen students receive awards in recognition of their accomplishments in the competition: the eight semi-finalists and eight additional students selected from the quarter-final round. Current Members 2025 - 2026 Board Members Hovik Karageozyan, Chair of the Board Frances McCall, Competitions Chair Christina Sorfazian, Communications Chair New Members Lina Alexander Alfred Arizala Zara Davis Julie Grube Max Jonsson Rhea Mehra Nina Menzagopian Tucker Morgan Jonathan Park Samuele Protano Lesley Ramirez Hannah Robinson Ian Sculteure Sahar Yazouri Fellows Christina Estimé Ethan Korn Nathaniel Ramsay Brittany Russell Senior Advocates Jack Riordan Co-Directors Professor Sarah Schimmel Adjunct Professor April Macaraeg '15 Contact Information Negotiation Honors Program Tel: 213-738-5774 Email: negotiation@swlaw.edu April Macaraeg '15 Adjunct Professor of Law / Co-Director of the Negotiation Honors Program / Attorney, Macaraeg Law Email: amacaraeg@swlaw.edu Sarah Schimmel Associate Professor of Law | Co-Director, Negotiation Honors Program | Associate Director of Bison Bar Pass Program Tel: 213-738-5779 Email: sschimmel@swlaw.edu