Mediation Team Wins Team Advocacy at National Tournament
Principia’s mediation team took top honors in Team Advocacy and placed fifth in Team Mediation at the International Intercollegiate Mediation Championship Tournament at Drake University in November, coming in first for the second year in a row. In addition, seniors Abigail Blatt and Abigail Strub joined the ranks of All-American competitors with their showing at the tournament.
Team captains Justin Duffy, a junior, and Abigail Blatt led the two “firms”—“Blatt, Duffy & Marsh” and “Douglas, Fiddler & Strub”—to the semifinal and final rounds. Abigail Strub and senior Cameron Douglas won a decisive victory in their final round as advocate and client in a difficult case, putting Principia in the lead in Team Advocacy.
Newcomers Lorraine Marsh and Namrata Roy, both freshmen, and Nick Boyd, a senior, made significant contributions throughout the tournament to create a true team victory. Thrilled to participate in the first semester of her freshman year, Lorraine noted the deeper significance of their involvement. “Christian Science really fits into the whole process," she commented. "Mediation is truly about peacemaking, and these competitions provide the opportunity to express compassion through Principle.”
The performance has earned Principia an invitation to the 2016 International Law School Mediation Championships at Loyola University in Chicago in March. This will be the team’s second appearance at the Law School Championships in the last two years.
(Pictured above from left: Cameron Douglas, Abigail Strub, Connor Fiddler, Justin Duffy, Dr. Jeffrey Steele, Abigail Blatt, Lorraine Marsh, Nick Boyd, and Namrata Roy.)