The autumn semester is always a busy time for the Swansea University Law School Communication Skills Programme. It is a chance for new students to learn about the opportunities, new skills to be developed, and for returning students to audition for new competitions. As always, it was a packed semester!
Internally, the Programme started before the semester had with our annual Advanced Mooting Training Session: an opportunity for returning students to learn advanced skills ahead of teams auditions for Inter-Varsity Moots. It was well attended with around 40 students learning from the Programme Committee, including Dr Michelle Coleman, Sophie Hill, Geraint Fry, and Brianna Walsh. Topics ranged from core advocacy skills to ethics and teamwork. The session was perfect preparation for the in-person auditions where we selected teams to represent Swansea in 9 mooting competitions for the 25/26 year.
Our internal competitions also kicked off for both the first year and the senior year cohorts. Both have completed half of the preliminary Rounds with the first years facing a complicated contract law moot and the senior years a question about fixtures and fittings. The quality has been high and the next rounds to decide the knock-outs will likely lead to some tight results.
We also completed auditions for mediation competitions and our internal Client Interviewing Competition, supported by JCP Solicitors. For the second year in a row, the client interviewing was won by a team of second years: Jessica Davies and Eesha Boby. They will represent us at the National Competition starting in February.
The inter-varsity season also got underway with some challenging battles from the outset. Students participated in the ALSINC Negotiations Competition (supported by Admiral Law) and the Bucerius Mediation Competition, which we attended in person for the first time. The teams learned a lot about their skills and how to refine them.
In mooting, teams of students represented the Law School in the pair of competitions hosted by Landmark Chambers. Taylor-May Price and Barney Dix received high praise from the judges in the Property Moot, being narrowly pipped by Bar Students from City Law School- despite being far less experienced they carried out fantastic research and produced strong written and oral rounds. Akshay Pradeep-Kumar and Daisy Lilley represented us in the Judicial Review Moot and learned a lot from the experience, receiving strong feedback.
The annual Advocate of the Year Trial Advocacy Competition, organised by BPP Law School, saw us field a team of Taylor-May Price and Eesha Boby, with Abigail Edwards and Daisy Lilley as reserves. This was new ground for them both, having to conduct a Conference, examination-in-chief, cross-examination and submission advocacy. Both did superbly, and Taylor-May was announced as one of the top students nationally to proceed to the Final Rounds at the Old Bailey next March. It is our first time qualifying since 2020 and a reflection of the team’s hard work and ability to adapt to new situations.
Finally, in a bid to increase the possibility of engagement with client interviewing we organised the inaugural Wales Client Interviewing Invitational, with teams from Cardiff and the University of South Wales joining two of our own teams at Swansea for an educational event focusing on the skill. It was an invigorating time that allowed students from all three Universities to develop their skills in a friendly atmosphere. In the competitive element, I was delighted that our team of Ela Soffia Cynwyl and Aimee McCullagh were announced the winners in the Final.
Next semester promises to be busy with teams participating in over 20 events, while Swansea University will be organisers or co-organisers of the National First Year Moot for the third year in a row, the Wales Moot for the fifth year in a row and, for the first time, co-hosts of the Mediate Guru Virtual Mediation Competition. There are also plans for an inaugural event with 9 Kings Bench Walk Chambers and we look forward to announcing more soon!
Congratulations to all who participated in the Programme this semester.