TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on Jan 22, 2024

University of Tennessee College of Law student Kevin Escalona won "The Closer," the nation’s most challenging transactional law competition, on Jan. 14. Hosted by Baylor Law School in Waco, Texas, 14 law schools are invited annually to compete. Unlike most competitions, each school can send only one student. Each competitor is given only 24 hours to digest their client’s extensive files and prepare to negotiate a deal. This year’s competition challenged the law students to negotiate an agreement between Hotel 1928 (a historic hotel renovated by Chip and Joanna Gaines of Magnolia and Fixer Upper fame), and Neighborly Inc., a Waco-based home service provider. The competitors learned that Neighborly Inc. wants to host a conference at Hotel 1928 during the April 2024 solar eclipse. The competitors negotiated use of the hotel and its restaurants and terms for employment of entertainers, insurance for outdoor liquor sales, use of trademarks and advertising.