In 1998, two American law schools, Creighton University and Pepperdine University, sponsored the first annual International Negotiation Competition. The inaugural competition was hosted by Pepperdine and modelled on the existing Negotiation Competition sponsored by the American Bar Association Law Student Division. Following the success of the Louis M. Brown International Client Consultation Competition, the International Negotiation Competition develops negotiation skills in the context of international transactions and disputes.

The countries represented at the inaugural competition were Australia, Canada, England, and the United States. The Australian team from University of Sydney was the first winner of the traveling plaque presented by the Practicing Law Institute of New York City.

Since then the competition has become truly international, with teams regularly competing from Australia, Canada, Denmark, England and Wales, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Puerto Rico, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland and the USA.