9 February 2010: UK’s Top Student Negotiators to do battle at The College of Law
Some of the country’s toughest negotiators will be descending on The College of Law’s centres in Guildford, York and Birmingham as it plays host to the regional heats of the national Negotiation Competition this weekend.
Sixty teams from law schools around the UK will be going head to head in contests to measure their negotiation skills.
They are battling for a place in the national final in March and the chance to go on to represent England and Wales in The International Negotiation Competition taking place in Queensland, Australia.
During the competition on Saturday, February 13, which is sponsored by CEDR (Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution) and The College of Law, the teams are tasked with negotiating transactions or resolving disputes on behalf of fictional clients. They are judged on the outcome of two negotiations, assessing how prepared they are, their flexibility, teamwork, ethics and their relationship with the opposing team.
As well as The College of Law other law schools taking part include the universities of Surrey, Sussex, Kent, Essex, Reading, Portsmouth, Leeds, Hull, UEA, Manchester Metropolitan University and Liverpool John Moores University.
The national final was won last year by a team from The College of Law’s Moorgate centre, which will be hosting this year’s national final on March 27.
Sheila Bramley, the College’s Guildford centre director, said: “Most disputes involving lawyers do not end up in the courts. Instead they are settled by a compromise between the parties – a negotiated agreement. Getting the best deal for the client often involves skilful negotiation on the part of lawyers.
“It is therefore vital that law students develop their negotiation skills early on and for this reason many law schools, like The College of Law, have made this a key part of their legal skills courses. This competition gives students the opportunity to hone their skills and test them against the best in the country.”
The judges are made up of local solicitors, barristers and business people as well as academic staff from universities taking part in the competition and College of Law tutors.
Further information from Lucy Wray, Press Officer, The College of Law on 01483 216072 (lucy.wray@lawcol.co.uk)
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