After students compete in various competitions at their respective Law Student Society, NZLSA hosts an annual National Conference which provides the ‘champions’ of each of these six Societies with the opportunity to compete head-to-head for national titles. The competition categories include Mooting, Client Interviewing, Negotiation, and Witness Examination (more details below). One of the functions that the NZLSA performs is negotiating on behalf of the six on-campus Law Student Societies, with the law firms that sponsor the four main legal competitions held on each campus.
Senior Mooting
The Bell Gully Senior Mooting Competition takes place on a regional and national level. Mooting is the most prestigious competition in the legal sector. The regional winners get to compete at the NZLSA National Conference. The regional winners qualify to compete at the Australian Law Students’ Association Conference. Furthermore, national winners qualify to compete in the largest moot competition in the world, the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in Washington D.C.
Client Interviewing
The IPLS Client Interviewing Competition takes place on a regional and national level. Client interviewing is an incredibly practical skill in the legal sector. The regional winners qualify to compete at the NZLSA National Conference and Australian Law Students’ Association Conference. The national winners qualify to compete in the Brown-Mosten International Client Consultation Competition.
Senior Negotiation
The Buddle Findlay Senior Negotiation Competition takes place on a regional, national and international level. Negotiation is an incredibly practical skill in many sectors and competitors always appreciate the opportunity to gain valuable skills. The regional winners get to compete at the NZLSA National Conference and Australian Law Students’ Association Conference. Winners of the national competition qualify to compete in the International Negotiation Competition.
Witness Examination
The Minter Ellison Rudd Watts Witness Examination Competition takes place on a regional, national and international level. Witness examination helps students to build practical skills for their legal careers. The regional winners qualify to compete at the NZLSA National Conference and Australian Law Students’ Association Conference.
Paper Presentation
The LexisNexis Paper Presentation Competition is designed to help law students develop their research, writing, and presentation skills. It involves competitors researching and writing a legal essay on a topic of their choice, and then presenting it to a panel of judges. Competitors compete individually and the papers may be written on any legal topic, such as law reform, recent case law, or other legal issues. Participants can choose to write something specifically for the competition or reuse assignments they have already completed. The written papers should be 3,000-5,000 words long.
NEW ZEALAND LAW STUDENTS' ASSOCIATION 