Published on October 28, 2026 by Morgan Black  
Negotiation Team 2026
L to R: Team of Tyler Varnadore and Taylor Slepian, team of Hayden Stephens and Bailey Parsons

Two teams from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law recently competed in the American Bar Association (ABA) Law Student Division Negotiation Competition Regional Tournament, with students Hayden Stephens and Bailey Parsons advancing to the final round as the tournament's No. 1 seed.

Students Tyler Varnadore and Taylor Slepian also represented Cumberland in the regional competition, which featured 20 teams from law schools across the region.

"The ABA Competitions are some of the most competitive competitions we compete in each year," said Ben Warren, JD ’18, director of alternative dispute resolution teams. "Twenty teams competed in our region, and to make it to the final round is a huge accomplishment."

The ABA Negotiation Competition allows law students to develop and refine practical negotiation skills through simulated legal disputes and transactional matters. Student teams represent clients in a series of negotiations based on common facts and confidential client information. Following preliminary rounds, the top-performing teams advance to the final round of regional competition.

Cumberland School of Law currently ranks No. 6 in the nation in the ABA’s top competition teams. Cumberland's strong showing in the October 2026 event reflects the law school's continued commitment to excellence in advocacy and alternative dispute resolution training.

Give Today: Support Cumberland School of Law’s advocacy and competition programs.

 
Located in the Homewood suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford enrolls 6,522 students from 46 states, Puerto Rico and 12 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s 35 Most Beautiful College Campuses, Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and boasts one of the highest scores in the nation for its 97% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.