Cardozo students made their mark October 13 and 14 at the 10th Annual Securities Dispute Resolution Triathlon, with the ADR Competition Honor Society team composed of Emily Sappol, Lwam Stefanos, and Joshua Roseman winning First Place in the Arbitration round, taking a top prize for the second consecutive year. That team also captured Third Place in Negotiation Excellence.

The triathlon is a joint initiative of the Hugh L. Carey Center for Dispute Resolution and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). For two days, student teams from law schools around the country meet to test their advocacy skills in the negotiation, mediation and arbitration of a securities dispute. This year, 19 schools from around the country competed.

The team consisted of 2L students Emily Sappol, Yarden Sivan, Lwam Stefanos, Danielle Tuluca, and Eian Wiener as well as Joshua Roseman. 3L students Nicholas Anselmi and Angela Li were coaches. That team also captured Third Place in Negotiation Excellence.

Students from competing schools are given a fact pattern (this year it dealt with cyber security) and are assigned to represent either an investor or the brokerage firm.  

According to Professor David Weisenfeld, the team’s faculty coach, “students first prepare for and conduct first a direct negotiation with representatives of the other party seeking a consensual solution to the dispute. Then they conduct a mediation (a negotiation in which a neutral third party also participates) again seeking a consensual solution. Then, they conduct an arbitration hearing (conducted per FINRA rules and procedures) seeking a favorable award from the arbitration panel. It is extremely difficult event for students in that while the fact pattern stays the same, they have to conduct themselves very differently in each of the three events.”