What is paper presentation?

One of the easiest competitions around! It involves submitting a written essay and presenting it to a panel of judges. This can mean using a past assignment or a legal topic of your choice.

The fun exists in the inquisition by the panel after the presentation! The panel can ask questions to investigate the competitor’s depth of knowledge in their chosen field. Nothing you wouldn’t expect from our QUT expertise.

What is required?

Competitors are assessed on both the essay and the presentation.  The paper presentation has a 1,500 maximum word limit with the subject for the paper to be selected by the participant.  The maximum time for the oral presentation is 10 minutes.

Full details of the rules will be sent to all competitors once they have nominated or see ALSA’s website, www.alsa.asn.au for more information on the rules and criteria sheets.

The competition is great for those who love legal research. It allows you to focus on a particular area of legal interest and gives you some very valuable skills and something to put on your resume, particularly if you’re interested in policy work such as working for the government such as the Attorney-General Department or Australian Law Reform Commission.

How to nominate

Nominations were called by 5pm Thursday 5th April (Week 6) to compete.  Email competitions@quotals.com with paper presentation as the subject line. Make sure to include your details and the topic for your paper presentation.

Are there prizes?

So many to name!! The winners received:

• $100 in cash;
• Publication of the winner’s paper in an issue of My Learned Friend;
• An all-major expenses paid trip to the 2009 ALSA conference to represent QUT in the ALSA Paper Presentation Competition (See www.alsa.asn.au for more details).

2009

Participants proved their competency in both written and oratory skills in the finals on Friday 21 March.

The finalists Louise Young, Andrew Fyfe and Nicholas Josey presented on a range of legal issues, from using trust law to catch shonky businessmen to compensation for loss of chance. Judges Peter Black, Mark Thomas and Barrister-at-Law Patrick White drilled the competitors. Mark doing his part for Jurisprudence slipped in some interesting Theories-esque questions.

Congratulations to Nicholas Josey who won the competition, and also won the privilege of representing QUT in ALSA this July.