Students Learn Art of Negotiation at NBLSA Competition

Elijah Brown ’26 and Saron Setotaw ’27 recently demonstrated why quick thinking can be a critical part of high-stakes negotiations.

During the quarterfinals of the Nelson Mandela International Negotiations Competition, the University of Virginia School of Law students adjusted their strategy on the fly after realizing their opponents brought in information not provided by the moderator. Their ability to keep cool amid the unexpected while conveying their expertise on the issues earned the pair a perfect score in the round, and the performance helped Brown win the Best Negotiator award.

“That never happens,” said their coach, Professor Molly Bishop Shadel, of the perfect score. The duo made it all the way to the semifinals in the 17-team field — the furthest members of UVA’s Black Law Students Association chapter have ever advanced. Ashanti Jones ’26 and Stephney Tucker ’27 also competed in the preliminary round.

Each year, the BLSA chapter at UVA sends two teams of students to compete during the four-day National Black Law Students Association convention, which was held this year in Atlanta. The competition is designed to enhance law students’ global negotiation skills through realistic international scenarios while receiving feedback from practitioners judging the event.

Shadel has coached UVA Law students competing in the yearly negotiations competition since 2019. 

“I’m so proud of these students, and of our BLSA chapter,” Shadel said, adding that she would recommend the competition to any student.

Brown, Setotaw, Jones and Tucker prepared for weeks to be ready to compete in the two preliminary hourlong rounds. About a month before the competition, teams are given confidential facts necessary to represent their assigned client during the preliminary rounds. If a team advances, as Brown and Setotaw did, they are provided with new problems and confidential facts just hours before the next round of negotiation begins. The problems, and accompanying facts, continue to change as the teams advance through subsequent rounds.

Preparation, teamwork and quick thinking can make or break a team.

“The quarterfinals team, those guys were tough. They were very intense. Super serious,” Brown said. “It felt good to show them how quickly we could think on our feet.”

It was a skill they honed through Shadel’s coaching, which starts with teaching the fundamentals of negotiation to students who have often never taken a class in the subject. Shadel provides them with a prep sheet that requires them to think through what is at play in the negotiation, what the other side’s interests may be, and ways to brainstorm creative options that can benefit both sides of the discussion. The sheet is then used to create an agenda of top-priority items to cover in the negotiation.

Brown and Setotaw used that prep sheet all the way up until their elimination in the semifinals.

“The sheet was a huge help,” Brown said. “We tried to think the way Professor Shadel would encourage us to — did we consider this aspect? What if the other side says this?”

The competitive experience proved to be more than just educational.

“The negotiation itself was so much fun,” Setotaw said. “It’s stimulating.” 

Their decision to enjoy the experience regardless of the outcome also turned out to be a competitive advantage.

“At the start of every round, Elijah would say, ‘Let’s have some fun,’ or something. And the other team would always be so thrown off,” Setotaw said.

“I think our energy was reflected in the negotiation itself,” Brown said. “There were never any moments where we felt intimated by the other side.”

Some of the fun came from their ability to “bounce ideas off each other so fluidly,” Brown said.

“Working as a team was very organic,” he continued. “Saron is so eloquent. She’s so calm and comes off as incredibly kind, even though she’s kicking your butt.”

Brown is “a natural,” Setotaw chimed in. “Not only does he enjoy negotiating, but it comes very easily to him.”

The format also required the teammates to work with their opponents.

“Negotiation is an exercise in putting yourself in the other party’s shoes,” Shadel explained. “You’ll often find that the other side has information you don’t know about, and that would benefit you if you knew about it. An important skill is being able to gain trust and collaborate with the other side.”

Brown participated in the competition last year but did not make it past the preliminary stage. To be named Best Negotiator this year felt, in his words, “surreal.”

“It confirmed that this is the [career] path I should be on,” he said. “And I think it shows how much I’ve grown since last year’s competition. I was so serious and went really overboard and didn’t make it very far. This year was a lot calmer. I really enjoyed the process and working with Saron. I approached every round with a smile, like, ‘Okay. I’ve made it this far. Might as well keep going.’”

The skills the students learned preparing for and participating in the competition will likely have long-term career benefits.

“As law students, we’re kind of trained to win,” Setotaw said. “But there’s such strength in being able to find a middle ground for the success of both sides. A good lawyer knows how to do that well.”

The Nelson Mandela International Negotiations Competition “is a great way to grow an important skillset,” Shadel said. “Every lawyer needs to know how to negotiate, because it’s going to be part of your job no matter what your practice area is.”