Top law students from around the globe will arrive at Bond University next week to take part in a prestigious negotiation skills competition.
The annual International Negotiation Competition was first held at Pepperdine University in the United States in 1998 and has since grown to become a truly international contest, with this year’s competition attracting teams from 14 nations.
Bond University has the privilege of hosting the 2010 competition from July 1 – 4 and will also compete for Australia, along with a team from Sydney University.
Students from some of the world’s best law schools in Canada, Denmark, England, Wales, India, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Puerto Rico, Scotland, Singapore, South Korea and the United States will travel to Bond University to take part in the four-day competition.
All competitors will take part in a master class and enjoy a welcome function at Bond on Thursday, July 1, before enjoying a day at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and a relaxing afternoon on the Gold Coast on the Friday prior to the weekend rounds of competition.
The International Negotiation Competition is designed to develop the negotiation skills of law students in the context of international transactions and disputes.
Participants compete against each other in teams of two and must negotiate a series of legal problems acting as lawyers representing a particular side.
A judging panel then assesses each team based on their preparedness, negotiation skills, how beneficial the negotiated result is to each client’s interests, their teamwork and ethics.
Bond University’s competition host Associate Professor Kay Lauchland said negotiation skills are an important skill-set for all law students to develop, no matter what area of law they decide to pursue.
“By bringing together law students from around the globe, the International Negotiation Competition provides participants and observers, including local lawyers who judge, the opportunity to gain a special insight into the different cultural aspects of cross-border negotiations,” she said.
“We have a very strong international focus and emphasis on the development of practical legal skills in the Bond Law program and our students’ involvement in contests such this is an important part of their development as future legal practitioners.
“We are honoured to be hosting such a prestigious event and to be showing off the skills of our talented law students and the remarkable facilities of the Bond Law Faculty to the world,” she said.