2019 USALSA Competitions Guide by USALSA Publications

USALSA 2019

COMPETITIONS GUIDE

Editorial Publications Director Victoria Darzanos Publications Officer Claire Zollo Competitions Director Alex Vukoje Competitions Officer Shania Morgan

This guidebook has been produced by the Competitions and Publications Team of USALSA. Thank you to all those who contributed in any form to the creation of this guide and thank you to those who have competed in past years since 2012 when competitions began. ÂŠ USALSA Competitions Team 2019

COMPETITIONS GUIDE

Contents Introduction from 2018 Competitions Team

Page 4

Schedule Page 6 UniSA Internal Competitions Page 8 Feedback from Previous Competitors Page 9 Moot Page 10 Client Interview Page 14 Negotiation Page 18 Witness Examination Page 22 Criminal Law Moot Page 24 External Competitions Page 26 ALSA

Page 27

Feedback from the 2018 ALSA team

Page 29

Other Competitions Page 34 Feedback from External Competition participants

Page 41

How do I sign up? Page 42 Frequently Asked Questions Page 44

COMPETITIONS GUIDE

Welcome Welcome to the 2019 University of South Australia Law Students’ Association (USALSA) Competitions Guide. We hope this guide is of value to you and encourages you to get involved in competitions. We are voluntarily in this position and know wholeheartedly how beneficial competitions are. The last Competitions Team, Hannah Thomas and Georgina Axford, were responsible for implementing the Competitions Guide into USALSA, and have put in a tremendous amount of effort in producing this piece. Hannah has used her experience from competing in competitions in her first three years of studying law, in which she has competed in a vast array of competitions. Some of these include the First-Year Moot (renamed the Novice Moot), Open Moot, and Client Interview. Additionally, she had mooted nationally at the ALSA Conference twice, and has competed in the Sir Harry Gibbs Constitutional Law Moot. From these experiences, she had developed the production of the Competitions Guide, as she found that Competitions enabled students to develop skills such as confidence and advocacy skills. This Guide has been made to both encourage and assist students in entering the competitions offered by USALSA and also external ones. As the 2019 Competitions Team Alex and myself aim to encourage students to enter competitions both offered internally and externally so that participants may acquire the full benefits of these competitions. These competitions are not only beneficial for you personally, they can assist in your subjects in law school and your professional career. You will be able to work on your public speaking skills, learn how to advocate for a client, confidence, teamwork, written advocacy skills and so much more. This guide incorporates the internal competitions run by USALSA, what they are, how to prepare and more. All of the competitions are run for students by students. It also covers the national competitions for which the Grand Finalists from the internal competitions are selected to compete in and represent USALSA and UniSA. We have also included information concerning external mooting competitions. This guide does not replace the trainings as provided by USALSA but aims to assist you before you come to the trainings. The creation of this guide was generated from seeing other law student associations who have their own guides and rules, and then us asking the question well why don’t we? We want this to be informative but not the be all and end all. We encourage you to come along to the trainings which will go in depth into specific areas mentioned in the guide. This guide will give you an overview of what competitions are about and hopefully encourage you to get involved. We hope you gain something from this guide and if there are any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us. Your USALSA Competitions Team 2019 Competitions Director- Alex Vukoje Competitions Officer- Shania Morgan

COMPETITIONS GUIDE

UniSA Competitions USALSA runs a number of internal competitions throughout the year. In Semester 1, four open competitions are held. These are the Open Moot, Negotiation, Client Interview and Witness Examination. Within the open competitions you can participate in one competition or in all four. Then in Semester 2 the Novice Moot is held. The winners of the four open competitions go on to represent UniSA and USALSA at the national competitions at the ALSA Conference held in July each year. Each internal competition involves trainings, one Preliminary Round and one Grand Final. These competitions are a lot of fun and are very beneficial. The following will give you an overview of each competition, an idea of what is expected and some general tips. The training sessions will go in depth in specific areas of the following information to best prepare you for the Preliminary rounds. Each competition provides you with essential skills from teamwork to client advocacy. We assist you to develop these skills and focus on having fun and giving it a go. Read on to find out more about each competition and some feedback from our competitors!

COMPETITIONS GUIDE

Schedule This is to be used merely as a guide for the schedule of competitions throughout the academic calendar year and is subject to change at the discretion of the Competitions Team and USALSA. See the updates on the USALSA Inc. Facebook group for more information closer to the time. The specific dates are subject to change based on course timetabling. Semester 1: -

Weeks 1: Open Competitions Sign Up

Weeks 2, 3 & 4: Trainings for all open competitions

Weeks 5: Preliminary Rounds

Break Week: Grand Final Rounds

Winter School: -

Holidays: ALSA Trainings

Week 2: ALSA Conference - Nationals

Semester 2: -

Weeks 1 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2: Novice Moot Sign Up

Weeks 3 - 4: Trainings for Novice Moot

Weeks 5: Preliminary Rounds

Break Week: Grand Final Rounds

Questions for Preliminary Rounds and Grand Finals will be released via email to students, no less than a week before each round. It is usually a week and a half to two weeks at the Competitions Team discretion.

COMPETITIONS GUIDE

UNISA INTERNAL COMPETITIONS UniSAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s internal competitions are a great way to hone your skills and get practice like you can no where else whilst surrounded by your peers

SHANIA MORGAN Entering into the Lipman Karas Novice Moot was a very daunting, but ultimately a very rewarding experience to partake in. The decision to participate in this event allowed me to gently become exposed to the art of mooting in a supportive and pressure free environment. During this period, I developed a myriad of different skills such as confidence, advocacy, organisation, writing and preparing legal arguments for analysis. These skills are imperative both in future assessments during a law studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree but also in the workforce. The opportunity to participate in the Novice Moot provided me with an invaluable experience, where my ability to think critically about legal issues and answer questions from a panel of judges about my prepared work was tested. The USALSA committee equipped us with the necessary skills to ensure that all competitors were prepared to the best of their ability for the moot. Their guidance enabled the first-time mooters to practice and learn how to participate in a moot, as it was a new skill which needed to be taught. Coming face to face with a Supreme Court Justice as well as two other partners of Lipman Kara was an intimidating experience, however it also allowed myself and my fellow Grand Finalists to present our junior legal mooting skills and receive insightful and beneficial feedback regarding our performance from legal experts. Participating in the Lipman Karas Novice Moot was a challenging but enjoyable experience. Competitors in both the prelims and Grand Final were remarkable in their performances, and should be commended, as going up against these teams was never easy. A thank you should be given to the UniSA staff who assisted in judging and organising the event, as well as the USALSA Committee, in particular Hannah and Georgina for all their hard work in ensuring that the competition was a success. I highly recommend that future first-year students get involved in this amazing opportunity, while a lot of hard work is required, and it can be daunting, the experience that you gain from it is invaluable and rewarding.

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Feedback from Past Competitors Novice Moot 2018 TERESA TA I participated in the Novice Moot with Shania in 2018. Our collaborative effort allowed us to place second and first respectively. This competition was an opportunity for me to develop a vast variety of skills that will be applicable in both my studies at UniSA and in the workforce. These included teamwork, time management, legal writing and analysis, along with my advocacy skills. While these skills are assessed in course material, the Novice Moot gave me an insight as to how these skills were to be used in the workplace. In addition to these practical skills, the Novice Moot provided me the opportunity to develop personal relations as well as it allowed me to form new acquaintances, friendships and networks. Hence, I highly recommend anyone who is considering competing in the Novice Moot to give it a go. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s truly nothing you can lose, except an amazing opportunity to develop both professionally and personally.

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Mooting WHAT IS A MOOT? A moot is a mock appeal case involving two teams of two, one representing the appellant and the other representing the respondent. It is based on a set of facts for which submissions are prepared and presented to a judge or judges. The aim of a moot is to persuade the judge in favour of the party you represent. A moot involves preparing written submissions by both parties which are submitted to the judge before presenting. The judge can ask the competitors questions about their case and the written submissions at any point during their speaking period. Always remember to never interrupt the judge at any point. A moot involves more than one issue and the division of issues is up to each individual in the pair. A moot is participated in by pairs, one person being the senior counsel and the other person being the junior counsel. The question is released no later than a week before each round. There are two rounds, a Preliminary and a Grand Final. Competitors will advance to the Grand Final in teams. While a moot may seem scary you will be doing a moot in Constitutional Law and Administrative Law and this competition is good practice to prepare you for those assessments. The USALSA Open Moot can cover any area of law however we try to aim it towards a certain subject such as property or contracts. The Novice Moot will be specific to a current subject which first year students are studying.

COMPETITIONS GUIDE

WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS Written submissions are a significant part of the moot. Written submissions are an outline of your argument with the relevant authorities of case law and legislation. In a moot you cannot put a proposition forward without having authority to back it up. Your written submissions are used by the judge to follow along with your argument as you speak to them. The judge may jump you around in the submissions and in this you must be flexible in doing so to accommodate. There are templates for written submissions. The general structure involves names of the parties, background to the case, submissions and a list of authorities. The written submissions should outline who is senior and junior counsel. All of your authorities used must be on this list contained in your written submissions. You cannot use authorities outside of the list once you have submitted your final submissions to the Competitions Team. The written submissions are subject to a series of rules, so for more information regarding, the length of submissions please refer to the Competitions By-Laws.

TIMINGS & STRUCTURE OF MOOT Each competitor has 20 minutes to speak. Competitors may ask for a 2-minute extension to be granted by the permission of the judge. The structure is 80 minutes of speaking, from two teams of two. Senior counsel for the appellant presents first, then junior counsel for the appellant and then senior and junior counsel for the respondent. The timing does not include appearances which are done first. Appearances are only done by the senior counsel of each party. There are variations in how to say your appearances but the most appropriate form is: May it please the court, my name is LAST NAME and I appear with my learned junior LAST NAME, on behalf of Mr/ Mrs/Miss/Ms X the appellant/respondent in this matter.

COURT ETIQUETTE In a moot, you are acting as a lawyer in court and must observe court formalities and etiquette. The phrases can take a while to get used to but are essential to your score. Some examples are: •

Referring to the judges- Your Honour/ Your Honours

•

Referring to a judge in a case- His/ Her Honour said …, Justice X said …

•

Referring to your senior or junior counsel- My learned senior/ junior

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Referring to the other side- My learned friend

COMPETITIONS GUIDE

CASE CITATIONS Another part of court etiquette is case citations. During a moot you must back up your arguments with cases. When speaking your arguments, you must say the case supporting your propositions. There are certain techniques to properly say or cite a case whilst submitting your arguments. These techniques are used by all law students and lawyers. The first time you say a case citation in your speaking time, you must say the case in full. For example, the case of Thomas v Axford (2017) 200 CLR 176 would be said as: The case of Thomas and Axford in the year 2017, volume 200 of the Commonwealth Law Reports starting at page 176. After you have said the case in full, you can ask the judge to dispense with full citations. Most of the time the judge will say yes. After this you can refer to the case merely by its name and pinpoint. For example: The case of Thomas and Axford at page 10. However always be prepared with the full citation of the case. These are easy skills but very important to master. The list of legal reports present in case citations, this list is not exhaustive but can include: •

CLR- Commonwealth Law Reports

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NSWLR- New South Wales Law Reports

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SASR- South Australian State Reports

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KB- Kings’ Bench Reports

•

QB- Queen’s Bench Reports

•

ALR- Australian Law Reports

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN NOVICE MOOT AND OPEN MOOT The Novice Moot is held in Semester 2 and the Open Moot is held in Semester 1. The Novice Moot is open to first year students only. It is also open to students who have completed no more than nine subjects or have not completed Administrative Law or the Constitutional Law Moots. Additionally, to be eligible the prospective participant must not have competed in the Open Moot. The Open Moot is open to all students. The Novice Moot covers a first-year topic whereas the Open Moot can be any topic. The Novice Moot is a maximum of 15 minutes speaking time whereas the Open Moot is a maximum of 20 minutes speaking time. .

COMPETITIONS GUIDE

SO WHY SHOULD I COMPETE? Mooting might sound super scary but if you want to be an advocate this is one of the best ways to gain confidence in speaking on your feet in legal terms. The preparation beforehand is stressful and hard but when you actually do the moot, you enjoy it, and then afterwards you will realise how much you love mooting (or you may hate it too). It helps you to learn how to develop an argument and present it logically and concisely. You are able to present in front of barristers and judges of the South Australian legal profession. You do not have to be the best speaker or the smartest person by any means. Just give it a go and you will learn so much from competing.

TOP TIPS

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Make sure you know your cases

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Know your facts inside out

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Practice your submissions

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Take your time to answer questions

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Do not read a script

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Embrace the questions

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Be confident and calm

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Be prepared

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Speak at a good pace and tone

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Be persuasive

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Have a good posture- do not slouch or lean on

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Avoid saying “I think” “I feel” “I believe” and say “I submit” instead

the lectern •

If a judge asks you a question about a topic

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Relate the law to the facts – apply it

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Listen to the judge and use eye contact with

later in your submission, answer it then and

the judge

there- do not say “I will get to that later”

COMPETITIONS GUIDE

Client Interview WHAT IS CLIENT INTERVIEW? Client Interview involves students competing in pairs acting as solicitors to interview a client. The client is a volunteer and acts out a set of facts. The two solicitors must use questioning to find out the story and then give brief advice. The interview period is a short 30 minutes. After the interview teams reflect privately and then spend time reflecting with the judge. Teams will receive a memo which gives a short description of the client and the issues for which the client has come to see the solicitors for. The client and the judge will have the full facts. The memo is the question which is emailed to students a week before each Round. There will always be more than one issue in the question. The solicitors through questioning must try to discover all the issues. Both students need to participate in the questioning. Teamwork is an important part of client interview. One of the aims of Client Interview as a competition is to elicit secret facts. Secret facts are points in the story which the client will not reveal unless specifically asked. These may include names of other parties involved or specific events. In the reflection after the interview, focus on what went well, what didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t and what you would do differently in the future. Client Interview is a good competition for all students to get involved in as knowledge of certain law is not necessary. The law is mainly used for the advice but even then, the advice given is brief and simple. This client interview competition is different to interviewing a client in real life. In real life you would have more time and you would not be trying to get secret facts out. You would also have more information than a brief memo, in most cases. The interview will involve an ethical issue which needs to be addressed. This may involve the client not wanting to reveal information or asking you to do something beyond your professional boundaries. Client interview involves empathy and being aware of the clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s emotions. The client can and will react in any way and you must understand this and react appropriately.

COMPETITIONS GUIDE

TIMINGS & STRUCTURE OF INTERVIEW The structure of a Client Interview involves a 30-minute interview period, ten-minute private reflection and ten-minute reflection with the judge. There are no extensions of time. The 30-minute interview period is structured as: •

Introductions- greetings, taking the client to the office from reception

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Formalities- addressing costs, confidentiality, retainer

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Discussion with the client- ease the client into telling their story

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Probe further on certain issues to get the secret facts out

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Advice – must be given (usually within last 5 minutes)

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Conclude interview

HELPFUL RESOURCES A useful resource for this competition is Ross Hyams, Practical Legal Skills: Developing your clinical technique, 2014, 4th ed, Oxford University Press. This book is very helpful for interview skills if you would like further information. It can be accessed on the UniSA library website. .

SO WHY SHOULD I COMPETE? Client Interview is a great introduction to the complexities of interviewing a client and obtaining their story and their legal problem. It will also help if you plan to participate in the UniSA Legal Advice Clinic. Client interview is a daily part of a solicitor’s job and is such a vital skill to have empathy towards a client while also being able to help them legally. Client interview is an essential skill for every lawyer. It will become part of your everyday routine and this competition, while a fictitious scenario and slightly different operation to real life, can help you develop those skills required.

COMPETITIONS GUIDE

TOP TIPS •

Be respectful

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Focus on teamwork

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Be confident in questioning

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Listen to the client

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Maintain eye contact with the client

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Try not to focus too much on one issue as there will always be more than one

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Always leave time for giving advice

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Make your introductions and formalities succinct but clear and confident – no more than 5 minutes

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Keep the advice simple but cover all areas

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Share the questioning between the pair of you

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Do not interrupt each other

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Keep a good pace and tone when answering questions

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ocus on empathy

COMPETITIONS GUIDE

Negotiation WHAT IS A NEGOTIATION? Negotiation involves two teams of two discussing and negotiating a fictitious scenario. The teams have 50 minutes to negotiate with the aim of reaching a solution or agreement. After the 50 minutes, teams reflect privately and then reflect with the judge. The question will be released one week before each Round. In the Preliminary Round and Grand Final each team will negotiate once. The competition aims to replicate a real-life negotiation. There are a set of common facts for both parties. There are confidential facts for each side which are to be used as bargaining points. The aim is to create a solution to some of the issues. Be creative in your solutions and anticipate what the other side will argue and what their bargaining point may be. You must work as a team and try to avoid interrupting each other. Have a plan between yourselves, know the issues inside out and know how you want to approach them. Set it out in an agenda and stick to it. Make sure you know the facts well. During the negotiation, you must be flexible, i.e. negotiate with the other side to reach a solution. You want to come to an agreement even if it is only in principle. Think about the future, the relationship between the parties and how both can be happy. Be professional and avoid getting personal with the other side. You are acting as a solicitor and must be professional and respectful. Be polite to the other team and remain calm and focused. You must know what your client’s main interests are and explore them in depth. Be creative in your remedies, the remedies do not always have to be legal remedies. Make sure you and your timetable are always on the same page. Always enter the negotiation with good faith. In your self-analysis, critically analyse your performance. Explain what worked, what did not work and how you can improve next time. Everyone has a different style of negotiating, stay true to yourself but be professional at all times. A good resource on negotiating styles is ‘Getting to Yes’.

COMPETITIONS GUIDE

TIMINGS & STRUCTURE OF NEGOTIATION The negotiation is broken up into distict sections as follows: •

50-minute negotiation period

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10-minute private reflection

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10-minute discussion with judge

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During the 50 minutes, either team can request at any point a 5-minute break where the team consults out of the room in private. The 50-minute time period continues during this 5 minutes.

HELPFUL RESOURCES A useful resource for this competition is Getting to Yes, Roger Fisher and William Ury, 2nd ed. It will be able to help you understand the basics of negotiation and how to reach the best outcome for all parties involved without detrimentally hurting your clients platform. It can be accessed on the UniSA library website. .

SO WHY SHOULD I COMPETE? Alternative dispute resolutions techniques such as negotiation are becoming a more and more way of settling disputes in the modern world. Negotiation in the legal profession is a prevalent method of settling disputes before they go to trial. The process of negotiation is the preferred dispute resolution for many clients as it avoids the expensiveness and often time-consuming process of litigation. The Negotiation competition therefore allows participants to develop the necessary skills which will be an integral part to a solicitor’s career.

COMPETITIONS GUIDE

TOP TIPS •

Be confident

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Keep calm and focused

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Aim to get the best outcome for your client in a professional and civil manner

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Prepare for alternatives

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Know your facts, your position and your bottom line

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Work as a team- do not spring something on your teammate that they do not know

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Understand the other side’s position

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Be professional and respectful at all times

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Witness Examination WHAT IS WITNESS EXAMINATION? Witness Examination replicates a mock criminal trial. It involves an opening, examination in chief, cross examination of a witness and a closing by each party. This is an individual competition, with one person representing the prosecution and one representing the defence. Competitors are provided with a set of common facts, relevant legislation and two witness statements. The witness statements are one of the prosecution witness and one of the defence witness. The question will be released no less than a week before each Round. In the Preliminary Round and Grand Final, each competitor will participate in one Round. Witness Examination involves each competitor formulating a case theory and arguing this through the questioning of the witness. Witness examination specifically focuses on advocacy skills and presentation skills. Each side can object at different times during the examination and cross of the other side. However, the objections must be justified. These will be explained in detail in the trainings. While Witness Examination is fairly complex, the only law required is provided to you and only used in your opening and closing. However, most people find Witness Examination to be quite fun.

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TIMINGS & STRUCTURE OF EXAMINATION The timing and structure of a witness examination competition is as follows: - Appearances by both side - Opening – prosecution (3 min) - Examination in chief- prosecution (10 min) - Cross examination – defence (15 min) - Opening – defence (3 min) - Examination in chief – defence (10 min) - Cross examination – prosecution (15 min) - Break before closing – both (3 min) - Prosecution closing (3 min) - Defence closing (3 min) You may not need to use the full time, it will depend on the facts at hand.

SO WHY SHOULD I COMPETE? Witness Examination encourages participants to develop the persuasiveness of their advocacy skills which assists in progressing their legal arguments. This competition extends participants skills in being able to interact with both a judge and a witness which requires presentation skills that are both convincing and clear when delivering their case theory. This competition prepares students in utilising some of the basic legal skills employed in a trial scenario, which are essential for the advocacy components of a legal career. .

TOP TIPS •

Be confident and calm in questioning

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Know your case theory – base your questioning around this

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Avoid interrupting the judge

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Have a good posture at the lectern

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Know your flow and structure of questioning

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Criminal Law Moot WHAT IS THE CRIMINAL LAW MOOT? The Criminal Law Competition is a new competition which USALSA are implementing. The competition replicates a moot, but unlike the Open Moot the primary focus is on exploring issues surrounding a problem question in the criminal law field. The competition is structured as a mock appeal case, where teams will consist of three competitors. Within a team there will be two people acting as the senior and junior counsel respectively, and the third member of the team will be an additional researcher. This third team member does not compete in the oral rounds of the competition. It is up to the participants in the teams on which positions they would like to have. That team will then either represent the appellant or the respondent in the competition. Similar to that of the Open Moot, teams will prepare submissions based on a set of facts and then present them and persuade the judge in favour of the party they are representing. The competitionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s question will be released no later than a week before the commencement of each round. There are two rounds in the competition, these being the Preliminary Rounds and the Grand Final. Competitors will advance to the Grand Final in teams. This competition offers the opportunity to students to compete in a moot which focuses on criminal law and can appeal to those students who are interested in perhaps pursuing this area of law in their future career. For more information regarding the structure of how to prepare for a moot please refer to the above information found under the heading of Mooting-Open Moot. That information will take you through how to prepare written submissions, relevant court etiquette, case citations and much more. Additionally, this competition is subject to a series of rules, to find out more information regarding these rules please refer to the Competitions By-Laws.

COMPETITIONS GUIDE

TIMINGS & STRUCTURE OF MOOT This competition’s structure and timing replicates the Open Moot so that there is consistency between competitions. For this moot each competitor has 20 minutes to present their submissions to the Bench. Competitors can request for a 2-minute extension, which is approved at the discretion of the judge. The moot’s overall structure has an allocated 80 minutes of speaking so both the appellant and respondent presents their submissions. Senior counsel for the appellant presents first, then it’s the junior counsel for the appellant, and then the senior and junior counsel, respectively, for the respondent will present. Within the allocated 20 minutes, appearances, which are done first, are not included with that time constraint. Additionally, appearances are only given by the senior counsel of each party. The structure for the competition is as follows: •

Appearances by both sides- 30 seconds

•

Submissions- Senior Counsel Appellant- 20 minutes

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Submissions-Junior Counsel Appellant- 20 minutes

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Submissions- Senior Counsel Respondent- 20 minutes

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Submissions- Junior Counsel Respondent- 20 minutes

SO WHY SHOULD I COMPETE? Mooting can sound like quite a daunting experience; however, it is an integral skill to possess if you want to be an advocate. The Criminal Law Competition affords the opportunity to students to compete in the criminal field of law which is not an area covered in the Open Moot. Competing in a mooting competition is hard work, but it aids a person in developing their ability to present a legal argument concisely. It also helps in developing a person’s confidence and oral speaking skills which are integral to a person’s legal career. Competing in this competition isn’t about winning, it’s about developing your legal and personal skills, and you will find it an invaluable experience to undertake. .

COMPETITIONS GUIDE

EXTERNAL COMPETITIONS UniSA also competes in a range of external competitions that can allow you to test your skills on a larger scale.

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ALSA The Australian Law Students’ Association (ALSA) holds a Conference in the first week of July each year. This involves almost every law school from Australia and New Zealand coming together to compete in six competitions including the Championship Moot, International Humanitarian Law Moot, Negotiation, Client Interview, Witness Examination and Paper Presentation. USALSA sends the seven winners of the Open Competitions of the Moot, Client Interview, Negotiation and Witness Examination to this conference to represent USALSA and UniSA. Each year the competition is held in a different city. In 2018 it was held in Adelaide. This year it will be in Melbourne. This is a fantastic opportunity for anyone who gets the chance to go. It allows you to network with like-minded people and compete in an area you are passionate about. It is an amazing opportunity to represent the university on a national scale in a competition which you have won internally. A special mention goes to our 2018 Client Interview Team for placing 4th out of 21 teams. For Witness Examination, in 2018, we placed 1st out of 29 teams which is an amazing achievement. Congratulations to all competitors. These are the best results we have had for many years. ALSA Competitors 2018, 2017, 2016: 2018: Adelaide -

Daniella Hoy & Murtaza Dostdar – Client Interview

Georgie Grosset – Witness Examination

Liam Waddill & Ryan Feuerherdt – Moot

Emma Martin & Claire Zollo – Negotiation

2017: Canberra -

Jessica Punch & Nicholas Karalis – Client Interview

Georgie Grosset – Witness Examination

Leo Coldbeck-Shackley & Hannah Thomas- Moot

Niki Yeeles & Callum Jubb – Negotiation

2016: Hobart -

Georgie Grosset & Sonia Griesbach – Client Interview

Laura Crase – Witness Examination

Catherine Mwikya & Hannah Thomas – Moot

Laura Curran & Hugh Bampton – Negotiation

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Feedback from the 2018 ALSA Team CHAMPIONSHIP MOOT: RYAN FEUERHERDT As I was adjudged runner-up in UniSA’s Open Moot Competition in early 2018, I was selected, along with the winner, to represent UniSA at the Australian Law Students’ Association (ALSA) Championship Moot Competition at the 2018 ALSA Conference held in Adelaide. I was extremely proud and honoured to be able to represent my University on a national level (an international level – if you include the New Zealand representatives). In the lead up to the competition, the other competitors and I diligently attended training sessions organised by Hannah and the USALSA team. It was a pleasure to work with my fellow students, and the collegiality was apparent. The assistance of various staff members was also invaluable. The competition itself was an extraordinary experience. It granted us an amazing and unparalleled opportunity to moot in front of distinguished practitioners and academics, compete against brilliant mooters from universities all around Australia, and meet and network with the best and brightest individuals from the legal industry. The skills I have developed and the connections I have made place me in an excellent position to succeed in my studies and my career. I consider the 2018 Conference as the highlight of my university experience. I highly recommend other students to consider competing in student competitions and ALSA.

CHAMPIONSHIP MOOT: LIAM WADDILL I competed in the ALSA Championship Moot Competition which involved three rounds acting for the appellant/ respondent. In the weeks leading up to ALSA, Hannah and the competitions team spent countless hours assisting us in our preparation. This was invaluable. My colleague and I were able to workshop ideas, run through strategies and ultimately flex our mooting muscle to receive feedback before competing. The ALSA week was an intense and, at times, overwhelming one. However, I would not hesitate to do it all again. The social events are a brilliant way to network and meet competitors from all around Australia and New Zealand. The team my colleague and I became friendly with took the opportunity on our day off to head to the Barossa Valley. The competition week is therefore unique. While it can be stressful knowing that all the weeks of preparation are about to be put to the test, the bonds that are forged and the comradery that is experienced make it all the less intimidating. Because the marks I received didn’t reflect those that I normally would, there came a realisation that this competition is at a higher level than the internal competitions. From this, I took on-board the high-order feedback from the specialist judges who presided over our moots and I am thrilled by the thought of putting it into practice both in my subject moots and future moot competitions.

COMPETITIONS GUIDE

Even since competing, my experience as a moot competition competitor continues to pay dividends. I have used the experience several times in interviews and applications. Competing is a brilliant way to show you have the necessary skills to enter legal practice and it is a fun way to learn them! I would highly recommend competing in the open competitions and using these as a means to compete at ALSA. The experience is one that will stay with you forever and benefit you in your studies and beyond.

NEGOTIATION: CLAIRE ZOLLO We were provided with multiple training sessions in the weeks leading up to the conference, with a range of varied scenarios which challenged me to learn to handle different scenarios and expand my communication, analytical and negotiation skills. She along with the help of other USALSA members and some law school staff allowed us to work through scenarios and practice doing actual negotiations before giving us feedback which allowed us to work on areas that we may not have noticed needed work on our own, such nonverbal communication as a team and working on more creative solutions. These practices also gave me a chance to bond and work with my partner for the competition and learn her style as we had not previously worked together. The actual conference itself was like something I had not experienced before. It was so amazing to be able to meet and compete against law students from all around Australia and New Zealand. We were lucky to have the conference in Adelaide this year as this can be quite a costly experience. ALSA gave me the opportunity to engage with so many new people and learn in a new environment. Previously I had only partaken in UniSA competitions, often knowing the other team, which could make the environment feel less intense. However, for this conference, each round was a completely new scenario against completely new teams in what was quite a short time frame. Therefore, my teammate and I had the ability to work on our skills quickly changing and adapting to these new scenarios. We were able to work on skills such as how to be passive yet effective negotiators if the other team were more hostile and how to communicate as one team rather than as individuals. It was an experience that I would rarely get elsewhere during my time at university.

NEGOTIATION: EMMA MARTIN I competed in the ALSA Negotiation Competition with Claire Zollo. This was my first time competing at ALSA, however I still felt a strong sense of pride representing UniSA at a national level. Competing at ALSA, although stressful, was an extremely rewarding experience. The feedback I received during the competition has provided an invaluable platform to help refine my skills in a competitive environment that differs from any other experience I have had at university before. The social aspect of the conference was also rewarding. The events that were organised helped relieve the stress of a long day of competition. Also, being able to socialise with a diverse group of law students was unique and allowed me to converse with people I usually wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the opportunity to talk to. Without attending the social functions, it would not have been possible to know who had progressed into the finals, or be able to celebrate on the final night with our winner of the Witness Examination competition.

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I know I would not have been as successful without the help of the USALSA team; in particular the Competitions Director, Hannah Thomas. The weekly trainings were not only extremely helpful to prepare but they also enabled the competitors to form a bond and a sense of comradery that was evident throughout ALSA week.

CLIENT INTERVIEW: DANIELLA HOY My partner and I had the honour of representing the University of South Australia at the 2018 National ALSA Competition in Client Interviewing. I would personally list the experience of competing, along with the invaluable practical skills attained through placement and volunteering at the UniSA Legal Advice Clinic, as my biggest learning and growth opportunities as a Law Student so far. For anyone who wishes to practice as a lawyer, practical experience interviewing clients as such an essential aspect of the job is invaluable. I do not doubt the other opportunities for developing practical skills that the University provides throughout the degree. A Negotiation exercise in Contract Law, a Bail Application in Criminal Law, a Moot in both Constitutional Law and Administrative Law to name the highlights, but what sets the experiences in both the Clinic and the Competitions apart is the invaluable opportunity of feedback through every part of the competition and the ongoing test of adaptability. Over several weeks of preparation, we practiced interviewing clients in all of the most conventional areas of law. In practice and competitions, we participated in interviewing clients about Contract Law including Consumer Law disputes, Criminal Law including advising on matters of bail, domestic violence and both Family Law and Property Law. We learnt teamwork skills, building rapport with different clients, how to deal with difficult clients and had to adapt to situations involving ethical dilemmas and sensitive issues without any particular forewarning of what they might be. One standout example involved a domestic violence situation that emerged from a memo regarding a tenancy dispute. An especially rewarding aspect of the competition was the oral and written feedback that we received after each round we completed. I particularly appreciated a judge who was a practicing solicitor and took the time to give us twenty minutes of feedback that included what to do in real-life situations involving clients with unrealistic expectations- the most constructive feedback I have ever received in one sitting! In the end we progressed to the semi-finals, which consisted of the top four teams from around Australia. Anyone seriously competing will learn that the myth of the ALSA Conference being an opportunistic week long party is quickly dispelled, when as a finalist you have to leave the Break Night Cocktail evening after one glass of wine and a couple of canapĂŠs to prepare for a 9AM start the next morning. I am proud of our efforts achieving a higher ranking and score than some other institutions that have dedicated academic staff and programs specifically preparing them for these national competitions.

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CLIENT INTERVIEW: MURTAZA DOSTDAR I was a competitor in the Client Interview rounds at UniSA and successfully made it to ALSA competition rounds where Daniella and I reached semi-finals, placing us 4th among the 21 teams. The experience of ALSA week and the weeks preparing for my competition has provided me with significant benefits from just few short weeks. We have all heard that ‘words are a lawyer’s tool’, well this experience clearly proved to me why it has been stuck in the back of my head and it’s probably going to stay there for a while. The client interviews I went through were at times really unexpected and it is these experiences that will remain with me. I have been exposed to multiple areas of law within various circumstances that challenged all of my ability as a competitor. This should not scare you, rather you should be willing to face this type of challenge because being a lawyer does not only take hard work but it can also get really interesting. After all, lawyers deal with unique individuals on a daily basis. I am glad I went through the ALSA experience at least once during my law degree, it may have been a hectic week but it was educational and really interesting. I have been able to engage and improve various skills and abilities. From using persuasive communication to stop a client from causing further harm to her neighbor’s Hens to having casual chats with fellow competitors about those surprising moments. From managing three rounds of client interview in one day to enjoying the company of intelligent law students from all over Australia and New Zealand who carried similar interests as mine.

WITNESS EXAMINATION: GEORGIE GROSSET I competed in Witness Examination in 2018. I competed in this competition in 2017 and came 10th out of 26. I was very happy with this achievement however my goal for 2018 was to make the top 8, this would mean I would compete in finals. No one has made finals from Uni SA in any of the 4 competitions for a number of years. I spent months preparing for the competition. After winning the internal UniSA competition, I would put aside at least a few hours a weeks to improve my knowledge. In the final month leading up to the competition I was training and practicing about 2 days a week alongside the rest of the UniSA ALSA team. The final week before the competition I was preparing almost every day. There was a lot of training and preparation that I put into this competition. This was all helped by the USALSA Competitions Director Hannah Thomas and by individual lecturers that I reached out to in their own personal time. During the Conference week, I did not attend the Monday night Opening Gala as wanted to get an early night in preparation for our first day. The first day of competing I had two rounds of Witness Examination, the second day I had one round. On Wednesday night we attended the Break Night event. This was important for us all to attend as this is when you find out if you have made the top 8 (finals). It is also important to share this with your fellow team members who have all worked so hard and to support each other whether we made it through to finals or not. I made it through to finals and on top of that I placed in 1st position. This means that not only did I win all three of my knockout rounds but I had the highest overall score out all of all the competitors. This is obviously a huge

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achievement, especially considering that most competitors have coaches and a lot of other help provided to them by their university. Our client interview team also made finals. For 2 out of our 4 teams to make the top 8 out of 29 universities is a huge achievement. Both myself and the client interview team left the Break Night event as soon as we found out we had made finals to go home and rest for the next day of competing. The next day I competed in the quarter final. I competed against Adelaide University and knocked them out to make it on to the next round. I was so extremely excited to make it through to the top 4 and was very happy to have made it to that stage. The next day I competed in the semi-final. That afternoon I found out that I had made it to the grand final. I was so excited that I almost cried. I had put so much effort into this competition and while I would have been disappointed if I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make finals I did not expect to make the grand final. Especially since I had seen in previous years how strong the competition was. After all we are competing against the best law students in Australia and New Zealand. On Saturday morning I arrived at the District Court in South Australia in preparation for the Grand Final. It was really amazing to see so many students come along from UniSA to watch, this included all of our ALSA team. My family were also able to come along as well which was the amazing benefit of it being held in Adelaide this year. I was extremely happy with how I performed in the Grand Final. That night we all attended the final dinner at the Convention Centre. This was of course extremely important for us to attend as this is when all of the winners are announced. It was then that I found out that I had won the Grand Final for Witness Examination. This would be one of the proudest and biggest moments in my life. I worked extremely hard in preparation for this competition but there is a lot of aspects of this competition that canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be prepared for and you just have to think quickly on your feet. All of my Uni SA team mates were there to cheer and support me and it was a really amazing moment

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Other Competitions EXTERNAL COMPETITIONS There are a number of external competitions hosted by other universities which UniSA has participated in on occasion. Most of these are mooting competitions. For more information or if you are interested please contact the competitions director at competitions@usalsa.org. UniSA has participated in various external moots over the past few years including the Sir Harry Gibbs Constitutional Law Moot, QUT Tort Law Moot, Kirby Contracts Moot and the Ashurst Private Law Moot (now renamed Allen & Overy Private Law Moot). These opportunities are so valuable, and we encourage anyone with a passion for mooting to get involved.

ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS TRIBUNAL NATIONAL MOOTING COMPETITION (MOOT): The AAT Moot focuses a variety of areas concerning administrative law and are abridged versions of Tribunal hearings. Possible areas include immigration and citizenship, social security, veterans’ affairs, workers’ compensation and taxation. The competition follows a merits review process, and it is advised that competitors observe how advocates in a merits review setting operate. Competitors will perform in teams of two or three, the senior and junior counsel and an optional instructing solicitor who may not speak during the moot. There are no prerequisites to compete in this moot, however it is advised that Administrative Law has been completed before students consider entering the competition. The moot is hosted by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Those moots are conducted over five rounds at state or territory and national level. Each round will be held at the hearing rooms in the local registry of the state or territory. One week before the start of the competition the factual scenario will be handed out to the teams. The competition is adjudicated by Members of the Tribunal’s particular jurisdiction which the competition is run in. The Grand Final of the Competition is held in the first week of October in Sydney and will be adjudicated by a panel consisting of the President of the Tribunal and two other members of the Tribunal. For more information regarding the structure of the moot or any other information please visit the below site and do not hesitate to contact the Competitions Team if you are interested in competing: http://www.aat.gov.au/about-the-aat/engagement/2018-national-mooting-competition

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SIR HARRY GIBBS FEDERAL CONSTITUTIONAL LAW MOOT: The Sir Harry Gibbs Constitutional Law Moot is one of Australia’s leading moot competitions and it was organised and hosted by Melbourne University Law Students’ Society in Melbourne. The structure of the competition is as follows, the Preliminary Rounds are conducted as a four round-robin moot, and then three knockout final rounds. For the first placed and second placed teams there is the awarding of prize money. While the Grand Final is hosted at Melbourne’s Federal Court, the other mooting rounds are conducted at Melbourne Law School. Participants may enter in pairs or in a group of three. These teams consist of the senior and junior counsel and the other potential person in the team will act as the solicitor. The entrants will be required to construct and present their legal arguments which are related to a constitutional law factual scenario. There are no prerequisites to compete in this competition, however it is advised that the subject Constitutional Law has been undertaken. For more information regarding the structure of the moot or any other information please visit the below site and do not hesitate to contact the Competitions Team if you are interested in competing: http://mulss.com/competitions/Sir_Harry_Gibbs_Constitutional_Law_Moot

AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF LAW: ANNUAL ESSAY PRIZE The Annual Essay Prize is open to anyone who has studied or is studying legal subjects. Each year a different topic is chosen and participants who submit their work must write on that topic. It is a great opportunity for students to get involved in a competition which does not involve speaking and appeals to people who prefer research and writing. The dates for submission of those essays have not been announced. But further information, including the range of rules can be found at the following site below, please don’t hesitate the Competitions Team if you are interested in participating in this competition. http://www.academyoflaw.org.au/Essay-Prize-Rules

AUSTRALIAN NEW ZEALAND INTERVARSITY MOOT ON ANIMAL LAW (ANIMAL) LAW MOOT The ANIMAL Law Moot is organised by the Animal Law Institute and sponsored by Voiceless. The moot is hosted at a new location every year and last year the moot was held at Griffith University in Brisbane on the 22nd23rd of September. The moot encourages participants to enhance their advocacy and teamwork skills, but also increased their understanding of the law and how it relates to animals. The moot facilitates interaction about pressing animal law issues in the participants arguments. For more information regarding the structure of the moot or any other information please visit the below site and do not hesitate to contact the Competitions Team if you are interested in competing: http://www.ali.org.au/animal/

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AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND AIR LAW MOOT (ANZALM) The ANZALM Moot provides the opportunity to entrants to gain experience in the aviation field of law as well as develop their research and advocacy skills, and the hypothetical controversy will be determined before the International Court of Justice. This moot covers content from many subjects such as Contracts, Torts, Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, Corporate Law and Public International Law. This competition is relatively new, but previous competitions have focused on issues such as international acts of violence against civilian aircrafts, remotely piloted aircraft crossing international borders and international air access rights exchange. In the general rounds of the competition entrants will be able to represent the appellant and respondent. This year the ANZALM Moot is being held in Adelaide from the 30th of September to the 2nd of October, and registration is already open. For more information regarding the structure of the moot or any other information please visit the below site and do not hesitate to contact the Competitions Team if you are interested in competing: https://www.anzalm.com.au/

EXTERNAL COMPETITIONS There are a number of external competitions hosted by other universities which UniSA has participated in on occasion. Most of these are mooting competitions. For more information or if you are interested please contact the competitions director at competitions@usalsa.org. UniSA has participated in various external moots over the past few years including the Sir Harry Gibbs Constitutional Law Moot, QUT Tort Law Moot, Kirby Contracts Moot and the Ashurst Private Law Moot (now renamed Allen & Overy Private Law Moot). These opportunities are so valuable, and we encourage anyone with a passion for mooting to get involved.

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There are no prerequisites to compete in this moot, however it is advised that Administrative Law has been completed before students consider entering the competition. The moot is hosted by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Those moots are conducted over five rounds at state or territory and national level. Each round will be held at the hearing rooms in the local registry of the state or territory. One week before the start of the competition the factual scenario will be handed out to the teams. The competition is adjudicated by Members of the Tribunal’s particular jurisdiction which the competition is run in. The Grand Final of the Competition is held in the first week of October in Sydney and will be adjudicated by a panel consisting of the President of the Tribunal and two other members of the Tribunal. For more information regarding the structure of the moot or any other information please visit the below site and do not hesitate to contact the Competitions Team if you are interested in competing: http://www.aat.gov.au/about-the-aat/engagement/2018-national-mooting-competition

http://www.academyoflaw.org.au/Essay-Prize-Rules

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MANFRED LACHS SPACE LAW MOOT COURT COMPETITION The Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot was created in 1992 by the International Institute of Space Law, and focuses on the development of space law, and integrating that into academic institutions. In 2019 the Asia-Pacific area of the competition is being held in Uttar Pradesh, India. Up to three competitors can be entered. Each participating team must submit memorials for both the applicant and respondent. During the oral presentation, only two members can be present at the bar table, that being senior and junior counsel. For more information regarding the structure of the moot or any other information please visit the below site and do not hesitate to contact the Competitions Team if you are interested in competing: https://iislweb.org /awards-and-competitions/manfred-lachs-space-law-moot-court-competition/ participating-in-the-lachs-competition/asia-pacific/

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PHILIP C. JESSUP INTERNATIONAL LAW MOOT COURT COMPETITION This mooting competition is the world’s largest competition. The competition is a simulation for a fictional dispute between countries heard before the International Court of Justice. Only one team per school is allowed to enter the competition. Teams will prepare both oral and written pleadings arguing both the applicant’s and respondent’s positions of the case. So two written memorials (pleadings) and two forty-five minute oral presentations are prepared, one for each party in the dispute. Each team consists of two to five members, a minimum of two is required so that the applicant and respondent positions are argued. The competition is held at Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. Due to the competition being extremely competitive each year national and regional qualifying rounds are engaged in. The Australian qualifying rounds are usually held in Canberra in February. The Australian Final is then normally held in the High Court of Australia and is presided over by a Justice of the High Court. While nominations have closed to enter at the start of 2019, for the 2020 competition nominations will open in September of 2019. For more information regarding the structure of the moot or any other information please visit the below site and do not hesitate to contact the Competitions Team if you are interested in competing: https://www.ilsa.org/about-jessup/

BAKER MCKENZIE NATIONAL WOMEN’S MOOT The Baker McKenzie National Women’s Moot is primarily focused on addressing the equity issues facing women at the bar in modern society. To be eligible to enter this competition you must be female. It provides an opportunity for female law students to gain advocacy skills and increasing the accessibility for women at the bar. Further details for when nominations open for this moot can be found on their website. For more information regarding the structure of the moot or any other information please visit the below site and do not hesitate to contact the Competitions Team if you are interested in competing: http://www.womensmoot.com/

CASTAN CENTRE HUMAN RIGHTS MOOT The Castan Centre Human Rights Moot is giving participants to opportunity to enhance their knowledge of human rights. The competition is based on Victoria’s Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act. The purpose of this moot is to enable participants to develop their skills in analysing and applying human rights laws so that in the future they will have the capacity to incorporate human rights into their legal practice. The competitors participate in teams of two, one person acting as the senior counsel while the other acts as the junior counsel. The actual competition is hosted by Monash University, and is held at the Monash University Chambers in Melbourne. The competition is usually held in the month of September. For more information regarding the

structure of the moot or any other information please visit the below site and do not hesitate to contact the Competitions Team if you are interested in competing: https://www.monash.edu/law/research/centres/castancentre/for-students/human-rights-moot

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QUT TORTS MOOT The QUT Torts Moot focuses on a torts related dispute which builds the essential skills of legal research, advocacy and teamwork. The competition is hosted by QUTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s School of Law in Brisbane, with the Preliminary Rounds taking place in the QUT Law Moot Court and the Industrial Court. While the Grand Final takes place in the Supreme Court of Queensland and its adjudicated by judges and legal professionals. A team will consist of two to four entrants, however only two of those team members may sit at the bar and present their argument. The nominations for the 2019 QUT Torts Moot will open in April of 2019. For more information regarding the structure of the moot or any other information please visit the below site and do not hesitate to contact the Competitions Team if you are interested in competing: https://www.qut.edu.au/law/about/news-events/torts-moot

ALLEN & OVERY PRIVATE LAW MOOT The Allen & Overy Private Law Moot primarily focuses on the area of private law and commercial topics. Previous problems have included subjects such as Equity and Trusts, Corporations Law and Contracts. The competition includes four Preliminary Rounds that is followed by a Semi Final and Grand Final. The Preliminary Rounds last year were held at the University of New South Wales Kensington Campus in Sydney. While the Semi Final and Grand Final was held in New South Wales Court of Appeal and the New South Wales Supreme Court, whilst being adjudicated by a select panel of judges. A maximum of two teams may be entered in the competition, with each team consisting of two to four students. To be eligible for the final rounds the team must have one member who identifies as being female or non cis-male. For more information regarding the structure of the moot or any other information please visit the below site and do not hesitate to contact the Competitions Team if you are interested in competing: https://www.unswlawsoc.org/private-law-moot/

MICHAEL KIRBY CONTRACT LAW MOOT The Michael Kirby Contract Law Moot is hosted by Victoria Law School in the College of Justice at Victoria University. The competition runs for four days and is the largest moot competition in Australia. Winners of the competition will be awarded prize money. The competitionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s focus is around issues in contract law. The moot in 2019 will be held from the 23rd to the 26th of September. For more information regarding the structure of the moot or any other information please visit the below site and do not hesitate to contact the Competitions Team if you are interested in competing: https://www.vu.edu.au/about-vu/news-events/events/kirby-moot Tri-varsity Mediation Competition: UniSA, Adelaide University & Flinders University

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The Tri-varsity Mediation Competition is organised by Adelaide University, Flinders University and the University of South Australia. The competition was previously held in 2017, and Alison Shaw from Shaw Mediation provided support for this competition. Previously a cash prize has been offered by the sponsor of the competition. The competition involves participants working individually within a group of three competitors. Two students will act for one of the parties within the dispute with the assistance of a third-party mediator. Ultimately, this competition emphasises the development of team work and negotiation skills.

For more information regarding the structure of the moot or any other information please do not hesitate to contact the Competitions Team if you are interested in competing.

Feedback from Competitors in External Moots SIR HARRY GIBBS CONSTITUTIONAL LAW MOOT 2016: HANNAH THOMAS I competed in the Sir Harry Gibbs Constitutional Law Moot in 2016, held in Melbourne, alongside Salsabil Hafiz and Catherine Mwikya. This moot is very complex and very prestigious. We met some wonderful people and got to experience Melbourne Law School. Although some of the knowledge was beyond our level of knowledge at the time as second year level, our advocacy skills matched many of the other teams. There were a number of complications along the way in our preparation but we moved past them and we did it. We could not have got there without the assistance of Travis Shueard, beforehand and during our time in Melbourne, and the lecturers at UniSA especially Sue Milne. One of the benefits of doing a moot like this is watching the grand final and being in the presence of the Honourable Susan Crennan, William Gummow and Ian Callinan. Doing a moot like this expands your skills immensely, from organisation, to knowledge to being able to answer questions on your feet while a judge hammers you with endless questions. I was thrown out of my comfort zone on many occasions but learnt a lot about myself and improved my mooting skills immensely. If you enjoy mooting, I thoroughly recommend getting involved with an external moot competition.

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How Do I Sign Up? SIGNING UP For each internal competition, there will be an online sign up link provided to students via email and via the USALSA Facebook group. This will be provided in week one of the relevant semesters. Sign up will be from week one until end of week 3 before preliminary rounds commence in week 4. For external competitions, please contact the competitions team for assistance in forming a team and signing up. If you’re interested but don’t know who to do it with, convince your friends to do it, have some fun and learn some new skills! (I can guarantee these competitions will teach you more skills than your subjects will… except the Legal Advice Clinic) Look for the following forms and simple enter your details and then you will be notififed on the running of the competition!

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Frequently Asked Questions: I DON’T HAVE A PARTNER TO DO THE COMPETITION WITH, CAN I STILL COMPETE? Moots can be done individually. Witness Examination is done individually. For Client interview and negotiation, the Competitions Team will help find someone to pair you with. Try and drag a friend along to do it with you.

I’M REALLY BUSY AND DON’T THINK I’LL HAVE THE TIME, HOW MUCH TIME COMMITMENT IS REQUIRED? Client interview and Negotiation require the least preparation time. If you are short on time, I would recommend these competitions. However the moot is not designed to be overly complex and is aimed to be completed within a few weeks, therefore we try not to make it too hard for you. The easiest excuse is to say I don’t have time, but the solution is to make time even if you only do one competition. Client Interview takes about an hour, negotiation about 70 minutes, a moot takes about an hour and a half and witness examination takes about 60 minutes. These are for the actual competition times.

I DON’T KNOW HOW TO DO THESE COMPETITIONS SO I DON’T FEEL LIKE I CAN? There are in depth training sessions provided for each competition. Most people who compete have not done the competitions before. The Competitions Team is there to support you and help you through it. We provide handouts during the trainings and usually practice sessions or examples shown to you. You will not be left in the dark. The trainings make sure you feel comfortable to then compete. And the lecturers who assist in the trainings are always happy to answer any questions.

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Frequently Asked Questions: CAN I COMPETE IN ALL FOUR COMPETITIONS? Absolutely.

CAN I COMPETE IN ONLY ONE COMPETITION? Absolutely.

WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND FOR A FIRST YEAR STUDENT? First year students we recommend to get involved with the Novice Moot, which is specifically for first years. We base this around a subject you are currently studying and make it relevant to a certain week. We allow you to dip your toes in and have a go. First year students are more than welcome to do the open competitions if you wish.

WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND FOR A SECOND YEAR STUDENT AND ABOVE WHO HAS NEVER DONE THESE COMPETITIONS? Any competition. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel you are ready for the more complex ones, give client interview or negotiation a go. Those two are fairly straight forward. Mooting and witness examination require a bit more development of skills.

WHAT DO I WEAR? You must wear professional business attire when competing.

WHERE DO I FIND OUT INFORMATION ABOUT COMPETITIONS? Speak to the Competitions Team on USALSA, look for posters around the law school, check the USALSA Facebook page, check your emails and talk to your fellow students.

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A 2019 USALSA PUBLICATION COMPETITIONS GUIDE