On March 8, 2021, I served as a Judge with the inaugural program-wide Pepperdine Law Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution Mediation Competition. The competition encouraged students to apply their knowledge and skills to challenges posed by clients, through a unique role-play simulation created by practitioners. Judges evaluated the participating students based on their ability to combine advocacy and problem-solving methodology to mediate effectively through negotiation, learning about other client’s interests, and choosing best alternatives. We rated the students and offered