In partnership with Wayne State University Law School, Taft hosted the 12th Annual Wayne State Taft Transactional Law Competition on Nov. 14 in the firm’s Southfield office.

The Wayne State Taft Transactional Law Competition, previously known as the Jaffe Transactional Law Competition, was established in 2014 by Professor Eric Zacks and Wayne Law Alumnus and Partner at Taft, Justin Hanna. The program continues to thrive thanks to the Taft Transactional Law Competition Fund, established in 2018.

The competition challenges students to build essential drafting, negotiating, and counseling skills through a simulated mergers and acquisitions transaction. Several Taft attorneys, including Justin Hanna, Jeff Izzard, Bruce Kahn, Daniel Harwood, Connor Schram, Jeremy Ellis, and Marguerite Donahue (Ret.), along with Wayne Law alumni and other attorneys, served as judges.

The following law students have been recognized as this year’s winners:

• First Place Negotiations (Seller’s Counsel): Damion Todd and Jacob Meyou
• First Place Negotiations (Buyer’s Counsel): Bennett McGraw and (Gordon) Austin Woody
• First Place Drafting (Seller’s Counsel): Damion Todd and Jacob Meyou
• First Place Drafting (Buyer’s Counsel): Nana Berko and Dilraj Gill

The winners will represent Wayne Law at the 2026 Wayne State Taft Transactional Law Invitational, a national competition hosted by Wayne Law, which will bring together 22 law schools from across the U.S.