Regional Champions and National Finalists!

In February, the incredible duo of Madison Goff and Paul Castellano were crowned Champions at the ABA Client Counseling Regional Competition for the second year in a row! This past week, the team, along with their coach, Professor Emily Bollman, traveled to Chicago to compete at the national level.

The competition began with 86 teams representing 50 law schools across six regional events, culminating in the top 12 teams advancing to Chicago for nationals. We are extremely excited and proud to share that Madi and Paul were finalists and placed second in the nation!

Please join us in congratulating Madi, Paul, Professor Bollman, and the entire DR Board.

[L-R] Madi and Paul

Regional Champions and National Finalists!

Please join us in congratulating Madi, Paul, Professor Bollman, and the entire DR Board.

[L-R] Madi and Paul

Dispute Resolution Board Annual Workshop March 28th, 2026

The Dispute Resolution Board is excited to host their annual workshop on Saturday, March 28th from 8:15 am to 5:00 pm. It has been revamped and condensed into a dynamic and interactive one-day experience. During the workshop, students will learn about the competitions we participate in, the skills we develop, and the places we travel.

Students will be sent material to review before attending the workshop. Please review the material and be ready to be engaged and collaborate. We will be providing breakfast, lunch, and snacks throughout the session. If there are any dietary restrictions, please indicate it on the sign-up form. The workshop is optional but highly recommended for any student who is considering trying out for the Dispute Resolution Board.

Below is the sign up for the Workshop. We look forward to seeing everyone who signs up!

https://forms.gle/vkUqz4o7kytx6Y599

Dispute Resolution Board Annual Workshop March 28th, 2026

Below is the sign up for the Workshop. We look forward to seeing everyone who signs up!

https://forms.gle/vkUqz4o7kytx6Y599

Dispute Resolution Board Annual Workshop March 28th, 2026

Below is the sign up for the Workshop. We look forward to seeing everyone who signs up!

https://forms.gle/vkUqz4o7kytx6Y599

Dispute Resolution Board Annual Workshop March 28th, 2026

Below is the sign up for the Workshop. We look forward to seeing everyone who signs up!

https://forms.gle/vkUqz4o7kytx6Y599

Champions. Champions. Champions.

Champions.
Champions.
Champions.

This past weekend, the Dispute Resolution Board went out and came home with THREE championships!

It began Friday morning with 28 teams competing at the 4th Annual National College Athletics Infractions Hearing Competition. Team captain Laura J. Hutton; first-time competitors Lauren D. Suggs, Victoria Heighton, and Camila Crepaldi Macchia; student coach Tyler Goldberg; DR alumnus and coach Blake A. Radford, Esq.; and Professor James A. Sheehan set up camp in Seminar 202 and Courtroom 203.

After two preliminary rounds, the first great news arrived — BOTH of our Stetson teams advanced to Saturday’s semifinal round, a battle between just four teams. While Victoria and Camila were wrapping up their closing arguments, they heard screams from the other room — Laura and Lauren had advanced to the finals!

Ten minutes later, the team learned that the final round of the 4th Annual National College Athletics Infractions Hearing Competition would be . . . STETSON v. STETSON!

Laura and Lauren scored the final touchdown and took home gold.

In the end, Stetson won.

[L–R] Professor Sheehan, Laura, Lauren, Victoria, and Coach Blake.

Earlier that day in Chicago, our Hong Kong Vis Team — all first-time competitors — Lauren D. Geenan, Kyra L. Marshall, Renag R. Morkous, and Kelland Timothy — zealously advocated over the sale of orchids.

This was also Stetson’s first time participating in the 15th Annual Loyola University Chicago School of Law Vis Pre-Moot. The competition was unique because it did not include preliminary rounds to advance. Thirteen teams competed, and one prevailed — Stetson. Our very own Kelland was awarded 2nd Runner-Up Best Oralist!

The Hong Kong Vis Team is coached by DR alumnus Matthew A. Ceriale, Esq., and Professor Stephanie A. Vaughan. They will travel to Hong Kong for the 23rd VIS East Moot during spring break.

[L–R] Kyra, Renag, Coach Matt, Professor Vaughan, Kelland, Lauren, and Grayson Ferber (VIS Team Captain).

That same day, in the charming Midwest city of Lincoln, Nebraska, our ABA Client Counseling Team began its competition weekend. Madi Goff and Paul Castellano — 2025 regional champions and national semifinalists in the ABA Client Counseling Competition — returned alongside teammates Corinne Rose, team captain, and Adriana Pereira, with their coach, Professor Emily Bollman.

At 2:40 p.m., the team received news that Madi and Paul had advanced to the semifinals as the No. 1 seed.

Twenty-two hours later, Madi and Paul advanced to the finals — again as the No. 1 seed.

On Sunday at 6:00 p.m., the final news came — for the second year in a row, Madi and Paul were crowned regional champions in the ABA Client Counseling Competition. The team will compete at the 2025–2026 National Competition in Chicago on March 20–21, 2026.

[L–R] Madi and Paul.

Please join us in congratulating the NCAA Infractions Hearing Team, the Hong Kong Vis Team, the ABA Client Counseling Team, and the entire DR Board — you are all champions!

The DR Board is extremely appreciative of the support from our wonderful students, staff, and faculty across campus — you are our champions.

We are proud to represent Stetson!

Congratulations to the DR Board!

The Dispute Resolution Board had two teams of wonderful advocates compete in the ABA Representation in Mediation Competition this past weekend. We are incredibly excited and proud to share that both teams—Daniel Smith & Sofia Santana and Whitney Ford & Alyssa Odom—advanced out of preliminaries ranked 1st and 2nd in a regional field of 20 teams.

Daniel and Sofia advanced out of finals and will now represent Stetson on the national stage in March!

Please join us in congratulating Daniel, Sofia, Whitney, Alyssa, and our fantastic coach, Professor Catledge. Both of our teams delivered an exceptional showing of dedication, teamwork, and competitive spirit.

Go Team Stetson!

Double Congratulations A THIRD TIME to the Dispute Resolution Board

Once again, the DR Board has had TWO fantastic squads beautifully representing Stetson this past weekend.

Our first team to compete was coached by our wonderful DR alumna Valeria Villaverde and competed in the Chicago Bar Association’s Transactional Negotiation Competition. This fully on-line competition was held this year for the third time, and this was Stetson’s first time in this particular competition. Both Marc Potempa and Ana Gammons, who were co-captains for this competition, were competing for the first time. They did beautifully – advancing first to semifinals and then to finals, where they finished in a strong second place despite having only fifteen minutes to prepare for the final round!

Not to be outdone, our second team to compete represented Stetson beautifully in the William and Mary Law School Negotiation Tournament. Lainey Armistead, Lexie Sharpe, Victoria Garcia, and captain Michael Carballa were coached by extraordinary Stetson alumnus Bill Greiner. Lainey, Lexie, and Victoria were all competing for the first time, with Michael as an experienced negotiator to anchor the team. After two rigorous preliminary rounds, the team of Lainey and Lexie advanced to semifinals!

Double Congratulations to the Dispute Resolution Board

Today, we have great news to announce from two different teams competing in two different competitions this past weekend!

First, and thanks to the fantastic coaching of Professor Stephanie Vaughan, Professor Joseph Morrissey, and AST Matthew Ceriale, and for the eighth year in a row, the Stetson Vis team has won the Florida Bar International Law Section Richard DeWitt Memorial Vis International Commercial Arbitration Pre-Moot in Miami. In addition, Flora Patel, our Team Captain for Team Vienna, has won Best Oralist! Here’s a bit of information about this competition:

Every year, members of Stetson University College of Law’s Dispute Resolution Board compete on the world stage, either in Vienna or Hong Kong, at the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot. This year, Stetson is doing BOTH! We will be among the more than 350 teams representing every region of the world competing in Vienna, as well as the 150-plus teams competing in Hong Kong. To prepare to represent Stetson internationally, the team participates in pre-moot competitions both domestically and internationally. On Saturday, February 8, the first of those competitions took place – the Florida Bar International Law Section Richard DeWitt Memorial Vis International Commercial Arbitration Pre-Moot in Miami. This was a rigorous day of competition, with every one of our advocates participating in four rounds of oral argument. Next weekend, the team will be competing at its second domestic pre-moot, at Harvard Law School!

Congratulations to Adriana Pereira, Andrea Martinez De Toro, Flora Patel (Team Captain for Team Vienna), Corinne Rose, Grayson Ferber, Louis-Alexandre Cabanel, Nicholas Rivas, and Christian Sweeney (Team Captain for Team Hong Kong), and a special thank you to Professors Vaughan and Morrissey and Coach Matt! This was the first time Adriana, Andrea, Grayson, Louis-Alexandre, Nicholas, and Christian have competed for Stetson DR!

But there’s equally great news from our Client Counseling team, which competed in the University of Oklahoma regional this weekend in Norman, Oklahoma. Our team consisted of Kevin Trana, Madi Goff, Paul Castellano, and team captain Hannah MacDonald. Kevin and Hannah are experienced advocates with an excellent competition record, and Madi and Paul were representing Stetson for the first time. The team was coached by wonderful Stetson alumna Emily Bollman, Esq. Every year, the Client Counseling competition has a different topic; this year, it’s Employment Law. After a two-day competition that started with a memo round submitted two weeks ago, Stetson came out #1! Madi and Paul will be representing Stetson in Nationals in just a few short weeks! Congratulations, Hannah, Kevin, Madi, and Paul, and a special thank you to Coach Emily!

Congratulations, Dispute Resolution Board!

Stetson’s Dispute Resolution Board has won the National Sports Law Negotiation Competition at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego! This accomplishment is particularly notable given that this competition has an especially brutal cut: after two preliminary rounds, the field is cut from a whopping 40 teams straight down to 4 teams who compete as finalists. We were actually within 1 point of advancing two of our teams!

Stetson was represented by 4 fantastic teams and 3 great coaches. Our team members were Hannah MacDonald, Rachel Crofton, Sierra Scott, JD Thompson, Elisabell Velazquez, Kayla Somoano, Kevin Trana, and Corinne Rose, and our amazing coaches, all DR alumni, are Professor Sy-Woei Hao, Alan Brock, and Jahanna Azarian.

Kevin and Corinne won the competition – and Sierra and JD came within a point of joining them as finalists! Team captains Hannah and Sierra, both of whom are distinguished DR veterans, did a fantastic job helping the team to navigate the disruptions associated with the recent storms. Congratulations to them, as well as to their fellow veteran Elisabell, on their continued success as excellent advocates. And Rachel, JD, Kayla, Kevin, and Corinne, congratulations on such a wonderful showing in your first-ever DR competition! I am so proud of how you handled all of the hardships and disruptions that came your way – and I am thankful to your great coaches for the time and care they invested in mentoring and preparing you.

Kristen David Adams

William Reece Smith, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Law and Director, Dispute Resolution Board
Stetson University College of Law
1401 61st Street South
Gulfport, Florida 33707
(727) 562-7870
[email protected]

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Congratulations, Dispute Resolution Board!

When I last reported on the Dispute Resolution Board’s Vis international commercial arbitration team, they had just won the Miami pre-moot for the seventh year in a row. They are now in Europe, and we just received word that they earned the bronze medal at the 14^th Budapest premoot. There were thirty-one teams competing over a three-day period, and all four of our advocates competed in four excellent preliminary rounds. Two of the other teams in the final rounds were from Australia and Germany – both perennial Vis powerhouse countries. Congratulations to our four great advocates, Stevie Henderson, Flora Patel, Eric Post, and Peyton Yentzer, and a special thanks to Professors Vaughan and Morrissey, alumnus Matt Ceriale, and team captain and student coach Sam McDougall, all of whom invested so much in this team. Now, they’re on their way to the “big show” in Vienna!

Kristen David Adams
Professor of Law and Director, Dispute Resolution Board
Stetson University College of Law