1 minute read
Skills Portfolio
from Lawkipedia 2021
skills@unswlawsoc.org
Bridget Hudson
Vice-President (Skills)
"The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it"
- Michelangelo.
Sign-ups for each competition are released via weekly email in The Brief (head over to the Law Society stand at O-Week to sign up!) and in the Facebook group ‘UNSW Law Society Discussion Forum’. What is the Skills Portolio?
Hi there, my name is Bridget and I’m the Vice-President of Skills Competitions for 2021. Skills competitions simulate real-life legal scenarios to facilitate the development of communication, adaptability and critical thinking techniques. There are four skills competitions, which include:
• Negotiations - involving you and a partner amicably upholding the interests of your client in a given set of facts; • Mediations - in which you and a partner utilise an independent mediator to facilitate creative solutions to a dispute; • Witness Examination - where you get to unleash your inner ‘Law and Order’ lawyer to question witnesses in a case; and • Client Interviewing - where you aid a client in a legal matter as if in an initial consultation.
There are internal UNSW competitions for each of the above competitions, which are great fun and allow you to meet many of the other students in your cohort. Further, each has Beginners’ competitions for all 1st year and transfer students, specifically designed to help you learn. Additionally, we run Preparation Workshops and Practice Rounds for all competitions throughout Term 1 so give it a go! Opportunities
There are also many exciting opportunities to compete against other universities in external competitions. These include both national and international competitions that take place all over the world, such as in Paris and Vienna. On a personal note, participation in skills competitions has been a highlight of my time at UNSW. It has allowed me to meet many of my close friends and has seen me compete against law students from across the world - I cannot recommend them enough! Please email me should you have any questions, I cannot wait to meet you all and I wish you the best of luck in your transition to university! 27
