’Canes Contract Challenge

Cards

PAST EVENT - January 16-17, 2025

Newman Alumni Center
6200 San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33146

The University of Miami School of Law’s ‘Canes Contract Challenge engageS law students and put their skills to the test to tackle real-world contract drafting and negotiation scenarios, blending legal and business complexities in a dynamic, hands-on experience.

Eligibility - Participant Requirements

  • Participants must be currently enrolled in a law school.
  • Participants must have taken Business Associations (or equivalent) and have taken a contract drafting, transactional skills course or have had related experience in negotiating and drafting contracts.
  • Teams may consist of two or three members, but only two team members may participate in live negotiation rounds.

2025 Agenda

Thursday, January 16, 2025

  • 3:00-4:00 pm: Registration and Check-In (We recommend you arrive in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area no later than 11:00am. You may forfeit your spot if you fail to check-in on time.)
  • 4:00-5:20 pm: Negotiation Round 1
  • 5:30-7:30 pm: Networking Reception
  • 7:30-10:00 pm: Dine Around Dinners (Optional, at individual’s expense)
  • 10:00 pm: Negotiation Round 2 prompts released

Friday, January 17, 2025

  • 8:30-10:00 am: Continental breakfast available
  • 9:00-10:00 am: Registration and Check-In
  • 10:00-11:20 am: Negotiation Round 2
  • 12:00-1:00 pm: Lunch
  • 1:00-2:15 pm: Finalist preparation
  • 2:15-2:30 pm: Closing Remarks
  • 2:30-3:50 pm: Championship Negotiation
  • 3:50-4:00 pm: Award Presentation

For more information or if you are interested in becoming a judge or coach, contact:

Marcia Narine Weldon, Director, Transactional Skills Program; Faculty Coordinator, Transactional Law Concentration; Faculty Coordinator, Business Compliance and Sustainability Concentration Lecturer in Law Academic Innovation Fellow, Lecturer: Innovation, Technology, and Design Program, College of Engineering. mweldon@law.miami.edu.

Paul Berkowitz, Senior Practitioner in Residence. pxb403@miami.edu. 

The Competition

The Transactional Skills Drafting & Negotiation Competition consists of both written and live negotiation rounds, designed to test participants’ ability to address complex business and legal issues. Below is an overview of the competition’s format and key details:

Structure

Open All Tabs
  • Rounds

    • The competition is divided into two main phases:
      • Written Round: Teams draft an agreement addressing the business and legal issues presented in the client’s case.
      • Negotiation Rounds: Teams engage in live, simulated negotiations to resolve conflicts between two parties. Each team:
    • Participates in two preliminary negotiation rounds.
    • Aims to qualify for the Championship Round, where the top two teams with the highest scores compete for the title.

  • Timing

    • The competition adheres to strict deadlines and time limits:
    • Written Round Deadline: Teams must submit their contracts by January 13, 2025.
    • Negotiation Rounds: Each negotiation lasts 60 minutes, with structured feedback sessions afterward. During live rounds:
    • Countdown warnings are provided at 15, 10, and 5 minutes.
    • Teams are allowed either:
    • Two (2) one-minute timeouts, or
    • One (1) two-minute timeout.

  • Determination of Finalists

    • Finalists are selected based on their cumulative scores from the:
    • Written Round
    • Negotiation Round 1
    • Negotiation Round 2
    • The two teams with the highest combined scores advance to the Championship Round.

  • Elimination

    No teams are eliminated before the finalists are announced. All teams participate in both preliminary negotiation rounds.

Preparation and Deliverables

Open All Tabs
  • Fact Patterns and Materials

    • Teams will receive all relevant case materials (ex. fact pattern, draft agreement, and client objectives) for reach round prior to the relevant round at the following dates and times:
      • Written Round: December 21, 2024 at 8:00am EST
      • Negotiation Round 1: January 13, 2025 at 8:00pm EST
      • Negotiation Round 2: January 16, 2025 at 10:00pm EST
      • Championship Round: January 17, 2025 at 1:00pm EST
    • Supplementary resources may include industry data and legal templates.

  • Deliverables

    • Written Round: Contract
      • Teams must draft the agreement called for by the facts.
      • The agreement must be submitted to Aleyda Mejia (akmejia@law.miami.edu) via email by 5:00pm on January 13, 2025.
    • Negotiation Round 1: Issues List and Mark-Up
      • Teams must bring two printed summaries of their chosen six negotiation priorities, with a short (approx. one paragraph) rational for each priority to the round.
      • Teams must bring two printed copies of their redlined agreement with proposed changes and annotations briefly explaining the reasoning to the round.
      • Teams will give each of the judges a copy of their summaries and redlined agreements to the judges when they arrive for the negotiation
    • There are no written deliverables for Negotiation Round 2 or the Championship Round.

Scoring Metrics

  • All rounds will be worth 50 points. There will be up to 10 points available in each five categories.
  • The categories will be specific to the skills that particular round is designed to highlight.
  • Participants will receive the score sheet for the written and negotiation rounds that will be used along with the facts and instructions for that round.

Awards

  • Best Overall Team - $3,000 prize
  • Best Drafted Contract - $2,000 prize

Accordion Group

Rules

Open All Tabs
  • Written Round

    1. Focus and Scope:
    • Written submissions must balance legal accuracy with practical business considerations.
    1. Formatting and Submission:
    • Late submissions will incur scoring penalties, up to and including disqualification.
    • The agreement may be up to 20 pages, single spaced in length.
    • The agreement must be submitted to Aleyda Mejia (akmejia@law.miami.edu) via email by 11:59pm on January 13, 2025.
    1. Scoring Criteria:
    • Drafting style
    • Understanding of business and legal concepts
    • Ability to meet your client’s objectives
    • Clarity and minimal use of “legalese”

    Creative but viable problem-solving

  • Negotiation Rounds

    1. Objective:
    • The primary goal is to resolve as many issues as possible in line with client objectives, in a collaborative and professional environment.
    1. Conduct:
      • Teams must represent their clients with integrity, refraining from unprofessional or overly adversarial tactics.
      • Late arrival for the negotiation will incur scoring penalties, up to and including disqualification.
    2. Scoring Criteria:
    • Negotiation style
    • Understanding of business and legal concepts
    • Ability to meet your client’s objectives
    • Professionalism
    Creative but viable problem-solving

Coaches and Administration

Open All Tabs
  • Rules for Coaches

    Rules for Coaches

    1. General:
      • Coaches may provide guidance on strategy and general preparation for both written and negotiation rounds.
      • Coaches are encouraged to focus on teaching and mentoring rather than providing solutions.
    2. During Written Round
      • Coaches may review student work but may not assist in any substantiative drafting, markup, or redlining.
    3. During Live Negotiation Rounds:
      • Coaches may not participate in or communicate with participants during live negotiations.
      • Coaches must refrain from any interaction with judges or opposing teams during live negotiations.
      • Coaches may debrief with their teams after the live negotiation round has been concluded and advise their team as to how to implement judges’ feedback in future rounds and negotiations.
    4. Conduct:
      • Coaches must maintain the confidentiality of all competition materials and strategies.
    Any violation of these rules may result in sanctions against the associated team.

  • Administration and Updates

    1. Rule Modifications:
    • The organizing committee reserves the right to interpret and amend the rules to address unforeseen circumstances.
    1. Inquiries and Support:
    1. Dispute Resolution: All disputes will be resolved by the organizing committee, whose decisions are final.

Further Inquiries:

If you have any further questions regarding competition substance, structure, or obligations, please email Professor Marcia Narine Weldon at mweldon@law.miami.edu.

If you have any further questions regarding logistics, experiencing Miami, or advice from a local please email Engagement Liaison Lauren Skidmore at ljs244@miami.edu.

Please copy Aleyda Mejia at akmejia@law.miami.edu on all communications.

Accommodation and Travel Information

Airport
  • Miami International Airport (MIA) - 6.1 miles from Coral Gables campus
  • Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) - 30 miles from Coral Gables campus
  • We strongly recommend that you arrive on January 15, especially if you are traveling from a place that may be affected by winter weather.
Train
  • Brightline Miami Station - 7.5 miles from Coral Gables campus
Local Transportation:
  • Ubers, Lyfts, and taxis are plentiful around the main transportation hubs and throughout the Miami area.

Find more information on the Miami MetroRail here.

Experiencing Miami

Open All Tabs
  • Art Deco Festival

    Discover the vibrant history and iconic architecture of Miami Beach at the 48th Annual Art Deco Weekend, a free community festival featuring guided tours, classic car exhibitions, lectures, and family-friendly activities along Ocean Drive. Find more information here.

  • Denver Nuggets at Miami Heat

    Catch the Heat in action as they take on the 2023 NBA Champions, the Nuggets, on January 17 at 8pm.

  • Little Havana Food Tour

    Immerse yourself in the heart of Miami’s celebrated Cuban community and savor delicious cuisine from family-owned favorites in Little Havana. Find more information here.

  • Popular Nightlife Spots

    • Coconut Grove
      • Bodega
      • Regatta
      • Level 6
    • Brickell
      • Rosa Sky
      • Blackbird
      • 1K Raw
    • Little Havana
      • Ball & Chain
    • Downtown
      • Mama Tried
      • SoundBar
      • E11even
      • Club Space
    • Wynwood
      • Dirty Rabbit
      • Gramps
      • 1-800-Lucky
    • South Beach
      • LIV
      • Sweet Liberty
      • The Basement at the W Hotel

Open All Tabs
  • Nearby Beaches

    • South Beach
    • Crandon Park
    • Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park
    • Surfside Beach

  • Neighborhoods to Explore

    • Miami Beach
    • Little Havana
    • Wynwood
    • Design District
    • Coconut Grove

  • Museums

    • Museum of Graffiti
    • Wynwood Walls
    • Perez Art Museum
    • SuperBlue
    • Rubell Museum

Thank You to Our Sponsors

LawInsider
SimpleDocs

Top