Rutgers Law School students studying transactional law will get to put their knowledge to work at a two-day competition that tests their skills in negotiating a business acquisition, as counsel for both buyers and sellers.
On November 22 and 23, students enrolled in the Transactional Competition Course being taught by Professor Yuliya Guseva and Adjunct Professor Ira Marcus will take part in a Transactional Competition at Rutgers Law School’s Newark location. Starting at noon on Friday, November 22 students will work in teams, representing either the buyer or the seller in a business acquisition. The students will have marked up prior to the competition a stock purchase agreement that will be used in the negotiations. Each two-student team will take part in three rounds of negotiation during competition. The first two will be held on Friday afternoon and the final round will take place on Saturday morning. After each of the rounds, the judges, who are experienced practicing attorneys from New York and New Jersey, will review the markups, observe the negotiations, score student performances and provide feedback to the competitors. The Competition is modeled after a program developed at Cornell Law School.
The Competition is the culmination of a two-credit course, the first part of which is a series of nine seminar classes analyzing contract provisions, deal terms, market trends and negotiation strategy. Some of these classes will include presentations by investment bankers, accountants and other professionals.
The goal of the Transactional Competition is to provide students who aspire to practice as transactional lawyers an experience comparable to the experience moot court provides to future litigators. It is designed to prepare students not only to argue cases and predict how judges will decide cases, but also to counsel clients engaged in buying and selling businesses and to help them manage transactional risks and structure and draft agreements.
At 11:45 a.m. on Saturday, November 23, after the final round, all the students and the judges will meet in the Baker Trial Courtroom. At that time, the first-place Buyer’s team and the first-place Seller’s team will be awarded a cash prize and plaques evidencing the Transactional Competition Award. At that time, the judges will provide general feedback to the participants. The Competition will conclude no later than 1:00 p.m.