EXTERNAL COMPETITIONS

External Competitions at QUT are a fantastic way to have fun while also further developing your legal skills and connections. External competitions are an opportunity to represent QUT against other universities both nationally and internationally. There are certainly competitions available to both the novice and experienced competitor, and many students who have participated in internal competitions previously chose to try their hand at externals!

There are so many reasons to get involved in external competitions, especially as a first year! The nature of external competitions is that you will always get to make connections with students from other universities as well as academics and industry professionals. Often these competitions involve travel as well. You will be exposed to many different areas of law and gain an insight into practical legal tasks such as research, advocacy and many others.

There are a range of different competitions on offer throughout the year and each will help you to improve the suite of legal skills taught throughout your degree. Certain forms require more preparation than others and have very different structures. For a breakdown of legal competitions as well as more information refer to the QUT Competitions Benchbook.

Some of the large intervarsity competitions held yearly include the Australia Law Students Association (ALSA) Competition and the Queensland Intervarsity Law Competition (QILC). We also source other competitions around Australia and internationally that call for entrants or submissions.

WHAT IS ALSA?

ALSA coordinates several prestigious national competitions each year. The winners of QUTLS internal competitions are often chosen to represent QUT and compete against similarly skilled students from across the country. However, this is not always the case and budding competitors are also welcome to participate. The QUTLS has entered teams into the Championship Moot, Negotiation, Client Interview and Witness Examination competitions run by ALSA.

WHAT IS QILC?

QILC is a great opportunity for budding advocates in Queensland to further develop their legal skills. It is well suited to beginner and experienced competitors, and also requires volunteers. There are four competition streams: mooting, negotiation, client interview and witness examination. The competition is a week-long event including many networking and social opportunities with other participating universities (all law schools in Queensland are invited to participate). The grand finals are often hosted in the Supreme Courts. Spectators are always encouraged!

There will also be lots of competitions that come up throughout the year which QUT are invited to, so be sure to keep an eye on our socials! The QUT x UQ Grudge Moot is also a highly anticipated external competition which runs yearly. The winners of the QUT First Year Moot will compete against the winner of the UQ First Year Moot and face off in the ultimate showdown.

If diving head-first into a mooting competition seems a bit daunting, you can always volunteer or even just come along as a spectator and support QUT! If you have any further questions about external competitions at QUT feel free to get in touch via director.externalcompetitions@qutlawsociety.com