Bond University has scooped four of the seven awards on offer at this year's Australian Law Students’ Association (ALSA) national conference, with two teams now gearing up to represent the country on an international stage.
The ALSA competition saw teams from 39 universities across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore come together, with Bond University students Eoin Coffey and Rupert Holden winning the King Wood Mallesons Championship Moot. Robert Leonard and Rachael Young picked up first place in the Clayton Utz Negotiation Competition, while Connor McBain won the Paper Presentation Competition. Rupert Holden won an individual prize and was named best oralist in the Championship Moot.
These students will now progress to the International Negotiation Competition and the Commonwealth Moot. The Commonwealth Moot will be held in Glasgow early next year.
Assistant Professor Louise Parsons said the result was a credit to the students' work ethic and the holistic skills program of the Bond Faculty of Law.
"The fact that the students performed so well is testimony to the Law Faculty's strong focus on developing legal skills," Ms Parsons said.
“It is particularly note-worthy that all of the Bond teams who participated in skills competitions at ALSA broke through to the finalist rounds. Timothy Noonan was a quarterfinalist in the Witness Examination Competition, and Michael Byrnes and Felicity Young also competed in the quarterfinalist rounds in the Norton Rose Fulbright Client Interview Competition.
"Our students have the opportunity to take part in a range of skills-based competitions run internally each year by the Bond Law Students Association, and the students have also taken part in moots, client interviews, presentations and negotiations in the compulsory law subjects.
"By the time our students step out on a national or international stage they feel confident and well-prepared, which gives them an edge over their competitors. The Bond Mooting program also provides a range of opportunities for students to represent Bond both nationally and internationally.
"While our teaching staff have given these students the foundation skills and techniques to excel, the students had to complete all of the preparation for the ALSA competition on their own. Their success demonstrates that they are able to independently apply what they have learnt, and ultimately means that they are 'work-force' ready. "
Rupert Holden, who hails from Sydney and was team winner of the mooting championship and recipient of best oralist - said Bond University had offered many opportunities for him to test his skills in competitions.
"My Dad is a career advisor and he suggested Bond University from the outset. I was lucky enough to be awarded a full Vice Chancellor's scholarship and I think Bond was certainly the right decision considering all of the opportunities I have had over the past four years in my Law and International Relations degree," he said.
"I started out in competitions that were organised by the University and following that, I was selected for the Torts Moot Team, which was my first nationwide competition.
"Since then, I have represented Bond at the ALSA competition in Perth, and the International Criminal Court Moot Competition in The Hague - where our team was second-runner up in the finals. I returned to mooting in 2014, and won Bond University's Brian Orr Competition, and then went on to win ALSA with my partner Eoin Coffey.
"Mooting has been the single most valuable aspect of my law degree. However, our success at ALSA is a testament to the tireless efforts of our teaching staff, in particular, Ms Parsons.
"Ms Parsons always understates her role in the success of Bond mooting, but her support, positivity and mentorship has inspired each student who comes through Bond mooting to achieve more."