Competitions
The Competitions portfolio is the gateway for students to delve into the world of practical legal experience whilst undertaking their law degree. The portfolio strives to create unique opportunities to allow students to firsthand apply their research and public speaking skills by competing in a variety of competitions. Our role as a portfolio is to bring some enjoyment and excitement to your studies. We make it so that competing is stress-free, enjoyable but most importantly rewarding!
Contact Katia at director-competitions@deakinlss.org
2023 Competitions
BAIL APPLICATION
Want some practice for your Criminal Procedure Assignment? Done your Criminal Procedure Assignment and want to show off your skills? The Bail Application Competition allows you a chance to practice advocating for a client in a criminal setting, testing your ability to think on your feet in the face of questions from the bench and work as a team.
WITNESS EXAMINATION
Objection!
Put your people skills to the ultimate test in the Witness Examination Competition, where you and a teammate will examine and cross examine a witness, object to the opposition, defend your own questions to the judge and present an open and closing statement worthy of a professional. Sign up for the Witness Examination to get a taste of what life in the OPP, or on those other side, might be like.
Work in a team to apply your legal knowledge by making submissions for your client to a judge. Practice putting your knowledge of case law and legislation into practice with the most well known of the legal competition, the moot. Sign up to either the Junior or Senior moot to compete against your peers and experience the adrenaline that can only come from standing in a court room.
CLIENT INTERVIEW
One of the most important skills as a legal professional is not talking. It's listening, and knowing just which questions to ask so that your clients are giving you the right information. In the Client Interview competition, you will work with your partner to interview a client, ascertaining only the most important information while exercising skill and tact in dealing with your client.
You can't always get what you want. Song title and sound legal advice. As a lawyer, you need to should be able to walk into a room knowing you client's priorities and how to leave that room with their interests secured. The Negotiation competitions allow you to practice the subtle skills of negotiation, how to walk into a room with your cards at your chest, knowing what to give up and when and, of course, when to back down. Practice all these skills and more in the Negotiation!
Workshops
Entering legal competitions sounds like fun, and it sounds like great experience. It is both those things. But it can also be very intimidating the first (and second and third and fourth) time you do it. The DLSS runs workshops to help you alleviate some of these nerves, and arms you with the skills you'll need to succeed.
