ABOUT THE 2020 COMPETITIONS

COMPETITIONS

NEGOTIATION

The Negotiation is suited to students of all years and, for many, their first experience in the legal competitions arena. Teams of two compete against each other as ‘solicitors’ advocating for their assigned client on opposing sides of the negotiation. The softskills associated with negotiating (like the ability to actively listen and compromise) are emphasised throughout the law degree in units like Dispute Resolution and Contracts. Just like in the real world, the purpose of the Negotiation is to represent the interests of your respective client while coming to a mutually beneficial outcome for all parties. as legal professionals and to reflect on how much my negotiation skills developed between the rounds of the competition. But beyond this, entering this competition allowed me to meet a wider range of students in the QUT Law Society and develop meaningful friendships with my fellow students which I will continue to cherish.” - Morgan Lynch, QUT PLT Negotiation Competition 2019

STUDENT TESTIMONIAL “Participating in the 2019 QUT PLT Negotiation Competition in Semester 1, 2019 provided me with an invaluable opportunity to practise applying my teamwork and legal advocacy skills outside the classroom. I felt empowered to experiment with my negotiation style and take risks in a way I don’t always feel comfortable doing during assessed negotiations in my law units. It was extremely helpful to receive personalised, detailed feedback from a range of past competitors as well

The layout of a typical Negotiation.

The QUTLS mooting program is a great place to start testing your legal knowledge and skills. Never mooted before? Don’t worry. Whether it is your first year or your last, there are a number of moots you can participate in.

Moots are similar to debating but with a legal focus. It is a head-to-head contest of legal arguments in a mock courtroom setting. Working in teams of two or three people, competitors get the opportunity to research and formulate legal arguments by applying the legal principles they have learned in their degree to the facts of the problem. Competitors then submit their arguments to a bench of judges. This year’s line-up consists of the First Year Moot, Open Moot, Junior Moot, and for the first time, an Accessibility Online Moot.

The layout of a typical Moot.

One of the most underrated, but incredibly important, skills in legal practice is the ability to interview clients effectively. Not only is it vital to build rapport with a client, but it can also often be difficult to determine the legal nature of a problem – especially when it is a problem that the client themselves cannot identify (which is why they come to you, the ‘lawyer’). The Client Interview allows competitors to work in teams of two to interview a ‘client’, asking them the right questions in order to identify the problems associated and provide preliminary advice.

STUDENT TESTIMONIAL “The 2019 MinterEllison Client Interview Competition was my first experience conducting a client interview in the role of a lawyer. Preparing for this competition gave me an incentive to conduct in-depth research into the legal interview process as well as the various areas of law which my partner and I speculated may arise in the interview based on the brief memo we received beforehand.

As a competitor in the Grand Final, I enjoyed attending the MinterEllison offices and networking with their lawyers. This was also one of the first times I had ever stepped foot in a law firm so being there helped me picture myself working in the legal industry in the future. Overall, I’m so glad I embraced this opportunity to apply my legal skills and knowledge in a more practical way. I now feel more prepared to tackle the type of work I’m likely to perform in my future legal career.” - Morgan Lynch, MinterEllison Client Interview Competition 2019

The layout of a typical Client Interview.

All of these competitions require volunteers! If you want to see what competitions are about (from the best seat in the house), volunteer as bailiff for a moot or as a client to be interviewed! You get to interact with the judges, watch competitors compete and get the scoop on how competitions are run. Get in touch at competitions@ qutlawsociety.com if you would like to sign-up to the volunteer pool.

EXTERNAL COMPETITIONS

Competing internally opens up a number of opportunities to engage with other students, professionals, and academics from other universities. If you succeed in the First Year Moot, you will have the chance to represent QUT in the annual UQ vs QUT Grudge Moot in Semester 2, 2020. Other competitions may even give you the chance to represent the QUTLS at QILC or ALSA. Internal competitions are also seen as an important stepping stone for students wanting to represent the university in domestic and international competitions like the Jessup Moot held in Washington D.C. or the Kirby Contract Law Moot held in Melbourne.