<p>The annual Mid-Atlantic Regional Transactional LawMeet competition provides law students with real-life transactional experience.</p>
<p>Recently, the Widener Law Commonwealth Transaction team had the opportunity to put their legal skills to work at the Regional Transactional LawMeet competition in Philadelphia. The team was made up of second-year students Jo-Anne Thompson and Michael Rosen and fourth-year student Angela Lucci.</p>
<p>&nbsp;All students who competed are enrolled in the law school&rsquo;s Business Advising Program.</p>
<p>The Mid-Atlantic Regional Transactional LawMeet is a live, interactive, educational competition designed to give law students a hands-on experience in developing and honing transactional lawyering skills.</p>
<p>&nbsp;This year the team was tasked with "representing" a beverage conglomerate in its purchase of a kombucha microbrewer. The team receive their assignment in December and worked diligently on drafting an Asset Acquisition Agreement that they negotiated in Philadelphia at the competition."</p>
<p>&nbsp;Lucci, who was competing on the team for the first time, said the experience she gained from a hands-on legal learning opportunity guided her to the type of law she would like to practice after graduation.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&ldquo;As a graduating student, I am making decisions about what types of law I want to practice. By having the opportunity to draft a merger and acquisition agreement, interview a client, and negotiate the details of the agreement, I have been able to solidify that I would like to practice transactional law in the future,&rdquo; said Lucci. &ldquo;Through this experience, I learned that there are many different styles of negotiating and that depending on the situation presented, you may have to employ several different styles throughout the course of one negotiation.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Many alumni and friends of the law school worked behind the scenes and provided guidance and support to the team before they participated in the competition. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Michael Hussey and Commonwealth Professor of Business Law Juliet Moringiello serve as the faculty advisers for the team.</p>
<p>&nbsp;"The competition is rewarding for students on so many levels,&rdquo; said Moringiello. &ldquo;First, they learn that lawyers add important value to business transactions. Second, the experience of negotiating a transaction illustrates to the students that while a lawyer is an advocate, the role of an advocate is not always adversarial. Third, the students get to learn from practicing lawyers and business people who donate their valuable time to our students' preparation. The students did a great job and represented the law school well!"</p>
<p>&nbsp;Widener University Commonwealth Law School is grateful for<a href="https://midpennbank.com/" target="_blank"> Mid Penn Bank</a>&rsquo;s generous sponsorship of the Transactional LawMeets team. Rory Ritrievi (&rsquo;97), the President and CEO of Mid Penn Bank, is a member of the Advisory Board for Widener Law Commonwealth&rsquo;s Business Advising Certificate Program.</p>
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