Client Skills Board

The purpose of the Client Skills Board is to increase awareness of the dispute resolution process. Familiarity with arbitration, mediation, client counseling and negotiation skills is a necessity for any legal practitioner. The Client Skills Board provides students with the opportunity to apply concepts learned in the classroom while developing fundamental skills that are relevant to any area of practice.

The Client Skills Board (CSB) consists of students who have participated in past competitions or are competing in the current academic year. The CSB encourages and facilitates the development of transactional skills, client counseling, negotiation and representation in mediation skills by administering competitions in conjunction with the American Bar Association (ABA), the Wisconsin State Bar, and other organizations.

General Board Members are eligible to participate in intramural competitions in client counseling, negotiation, representation in mediation, transactional lawyering, and other competitions identified by the Faculty Advisor(s). First year students are eligible to compete in the Intramural Representation in Mediation Competition held each fall and the Intramural Negotiation Competition held each spring.

The teams representing Marquette University Law School are selected through intramural competitions, applications, and try-outs. Finalists move on to Regional Competitions such as the IBA-VIAC CDRC Mediation and Negotiation Competition in Vienna, the ABA Law Student Division's Negotiation Competition, the ABA Law Student Division's Client Counseling Competition, the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution Representation in Mediation Competition, and the INADR Mediation Tournament.

In June, 2019 Marquette University Law School received the Best Mediation Management award at the CDRC Mediation and Negotiation Competition in Vienna. In 2018, Marquette Univesity Law School finised second in the Mediator category at the CDRC and placed 2nd in the ABA Regional Client Counseling Competition. In 2017, Marquette University Law School won the ABA Regional Client Counseling Competition and placed 4th in the ABA Regional Negotiation Competition. Marquette University Law School won the 2013-2014 American Bar Association Region 7 Representation in Mediation Competition and went on to compete at the National Competition in Miami in April, 2014.

More than 60 students participate in CSB Competitions every year, practicing important problem-solving skills, networking with attorneys, judges, and mediators, and gaining valuable experience for their future careers.

Student Competition Achievements

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