Competitions

Currently, senior competitions have concluded and junior competitions are about to commence. Registration for the novice mooting, witness examination, negotiation and client interview will be open until the 31st of July, so get cracking!

Registration can be completed by clicking HERE or via the main page:

Mooting

Mooting is mock court case where the case goes to appeal. The facts of the case have already been determined and the issue to be decided is whether the judge interpreted and applied the law correctly. Each team has 2 or 3 members, although only 2 members speak in any one moot. One team is assigned to argue for the Appellant, and their opponents argue for the Respondent. A mooting competition typically runs for slightly more than an hour. Mooting tests one's knowledge of law as well as Advocacy skills, and so adequate legal research and preparation are essential!

Teams of: 3

Time commitment: Moderate

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Negotiation

Between 90%-95% of legal disputes are settle out of court. Dispute resolution through negotiation allows for a much greater degree of freedom and flexibility than rigid, costly litigation, and is by far the bread and butter of a lawyer's work. Teams are assigned to represent different parties to a legal dispute and are given a common set of facts as well as specific confidential information about their client. Competitors strive to achieve an outcome that that satisfies the best interests of their respective parties. The negotiation session lasts for 40 minutes, after which teams will each have a short reflective period where they can chat with and take questions from the judge. The competition usually runs for little over an hour. The judge, in determining a winning team, will examine team work, strategy, and also the ultimate outcome of the negotiation.

Teams of: 2

Time commitment: Moderate-low

Client Interview

Client interview is different to any other competition you will encounter at Law School. It requires less preparation and less legal analysis, but you will need to develop excellent teamwork skills and an ability to think quickly on your feet. It is an extremely practical exercise and the skills you learn are highly transferable to interviews in any field. Teams are given very minimal, sometimes no information about what legal problem they will face beforehand. Rather, each team is introduced to their client and then has 40 minutes to gather information about their legal dispute and then give advice and come to a conclusion. Similar to negotiation, there is also a period of post-interview analysis with the judges where questions may be asked regarding strategy.

Teams of: 2

Time commitment: low

Witness Examination

Witness examination is based in a trial court (with problems based in torts or in criminal law) where each competitor examines their own witness and cross examines their opponents witnesses in trying to adduce the facts that are favourable to their case. You will be given the factual situation one hour before the trial begins (which will also provide an overview of the law in regards to the matter) and you will have 30 minutes to consult with your witness prior to the trial. The judge is mainly assessing a competitors ability to adduce and handle evidence. Familiarity with the rules of evidence is recommended (a summary of some important rules is available on page 47 of the LSS Competitions Guide 2009).

Teams of: 1

Time commitment: low