It’s also helpful if you are moving toward the end of your degree and need some practical experience with clients by providing you with the skills of a sought-after graduate. As a practical uni, it’s these experiences that set us apart from the rest!

Do I need a partner?

Students compete in teams of two, although individual nominations are welcome. We will pair you up with another partner.

What is required?

The question is released 2 days before the rounds in the form of a short memo alluding to a client and a problem. It is then up to you to ask the questions. Be prepared for problems including nasty or crazy clients, covering matters usually involving torts or contracts.

A team of two solicitors has a set amount of time to ascertain all the relevant information from their client to ensure that they are represented effectively. The competitors must cover all formalities of an interview, take note of the personal details of the client, the client’s issues and then give suggested possible courses of action.

While you are required to give a short legal advice, the interview – limited to 30 minutes - does not include knowledge of substantive law. Students advise on practical nature of the process and any law that you think may be applicable in lay-mans terms.

You interview in front of a mixture of Brisbane’s legal profession so the utmost professionalism and preparation is required. Business attire is required so dress to impress!

Are there prizes?

There are fantastic prizes to be won including cash and the opportunity to proceed to the Australian Law Society Association’s Conference (this year to be held in Brisbane) where the winners will compete against universities from all around Australia and receive a free pass to a week jam-packed full of social events!

How to get involved?

We are also in need of clients for the competition. Being a client (not as burdensome as it sounds) gives you an opportunity to see firsthand how the interviews operate. Send us an email and let us know what dates and times of your availability.

The Workshop

Every year QUOTALS holds a workshop on the art of client interviewing. The workshop runs through the structure of the interview process and gives you tips about how to best prepare and act in the interview.

The workshop will:

·         Instructions about what client interviewing is, techniques to use and how to address the client.

·         A demonstration so you can see what you are and are not meant to do.

·         Practical exercises so you can put everything you’ve learnt into practice!

Although these are the things we aim to show in the workshop it is very flexible and open to participators input. So the night can be adapted if there is anything in particular you want to know more about or learn.

It is highly recommended that those students entering the QUOTALS Blake Dawson Client Interviewing Competition come along to this – you will gain so much from the experience!

Junior Moot

Every year around April, the Competitions Directors call for nominations for the Junior Moot Competition. The Junior Moot is for those competitors who have not entered another university moot before.

The Junior Moot is an excellent way to introduce students to the art of litigation providing students with the opportunity to enhance their public speaking skills and presentation of legal arguments.

Do I need a partner?

Students compete in teams of two, although individual nominations are welcome. We will pair you up.

What is required?

QUOTALS provide you with the problem and the cases about a week prior. You give us the argument and the advocacy. Each team has 20 minutes to present their argument, and the Appellant has the right to reserve up to 3 minutes for rebuttal.  

You moot in front of a mixture of Brisbane’s legal profession so the utmost professionalism and preparation is required. Business attire is required so dress to impress!

What do I get out of it?

It’s your introduction to mooting at QUT and competitors get the skills and the experience to enter QUT’s Mooting elite that get to enter competitions all around the WORLD! There are also fantastic prizes to be won!

How to get involved

We are also in need of bailiffs for this competition. Being a bailiff (not as burdensome as it sounds) gives you an opportunity to see firsthand how a moot operates and see some of QUT’s finest strutting their stuff in the moot court.

Moot Camp

Got a lot to say but don’t know how to say it? Then the QUOTALS Mooting Workshop is for you!

Every year QUOTALS holds a workshop on the art of mooting.  Come along and hear first-hand tips for mooting from QUT mooting warriors!

The mooting workshop is a great introductory session for new mooters or for those who just want some idea what the illustrious ‘mooting’ actually is. The workshop will:

•          Give some instruction about what mooting is, techniques, how to address the Court.
•          A demonstration so you can see what you are and are not meant to do
•          Practical exercises so you can put everything you’ve learnt into practice!

Although these are the things we aim to show in the workshop it is very flexible and open to participators input. So the night can be adapted if there is anything in particular you want to know more about or learn.

It is highly recommended that those students entering the QUOTALS Junior Moot Competition come along to this - you will gain so much from the experience!

2009

This year around 25 teams, consisting of 1^st years to 5^th years competed in the Junior Moot Rounds between the 5th-7th May, from 5.30pm onwards at QUT Gardens Point campus.  After a gruelling 3 nights of very high standard teams mooting, congratulations must go to the teams of Abby Zeith (SC), Isaac Buckley (JC), Emma Higgins (SC) and Mitchell Rawlings (JC) for making it to the final.

The Junior Mooting Final was held on Friday 8 May at the Brisbane District Court and provided a great night of entertainment. The winning team were for the Appellants with Abby Zeith (SC) and Isaac Buckley(JC) who also both won best oralist. The team for the Respondents was Emma Higgins (SC) and Mitchel Rawlings (JC) who put up a great, if not incredibly humorous fight.

The judges who made the final tough decision were Ben Fraser, Bruce Mumford and Myles Murphy.

Enormous thanks must go the competitions Directors, Sinisa Butina and Caitlyn White for organising and executing the mammoth competition without a hitch. If you have any questions, please contact competitions@quotals.com.

Negotiation Competition

Get back in touch with your BATNA’s and WATNA’s!

QUOTALS present the annual Corrs Chambers Westgarth Negotiation Competition.

The competition gives you the chance to try out your negotiation skills, learn a little about practical problem solving within the law and have some fun!

What negotiation is!
Two teams, each of two solicitors, meet to discuss a dispute between their clients. Each team is provided with a description of the fact scenario. Some facts are known to both teams, but each team has some secrets too. Each team is also armed with instructions from their client detailing exactly what outcome they should seek - and what should be avoided at all costs. The negotiation will go for 40 minutes, with some time for each team to reflect afterwards.

If you want further reading, feel free to enjoy the verse of Getting to yes: negotiating agreement without giving in / Roger Fisher and William Ury - it’s in the library or on Google Books.

Prizes!
$100 for each member of the winning team and a chance to represent QUT in the negotiations competitions held at the ALSA conference (see www.alsa.asn.au)

How to nominate?
Nominations were called by 5pm on Friday the 27 March 2008 (Week 5) to compete.

Email competitions@quotals.com with “Negotiation” as the subject line. Nominate as a team of two, or if you don’t have a partner, nominate yourself and QUOTALS will pair you up!

The rounds were held in Week 6, with questions being released on Saturday 28 March.

The Workshop

QUOTALS also held a Negotiation Workshop for those interested in gaining vital skill and knowledge to use in the competition. It was conducted by David Pattearson who is an experienced in commercial litigation and has competed in ALSA.

Room Z-207 on the 26 March (Thursday) at 6pm.

The Final

In the professional setting of Corrs Chambers Westgarth 27th floor waterfront office, the finalists of the Negotiation Competition went head-to-head.

The fictional scenario pitted Shaan Stone and Jamie Nuich, representing the Brisbane Rugby Club, against Abby Zeith and Tien Nguyen, representatives of the player in question. The negotiation was hotly contested, with both teams raising impressive arguments for their respective clients. So heated and entertaining it was, that Sinisa Butina, QUOTALS Competitions Director, waited in anticipation for “the claws to come out”!

Unfortunately there could only be one winner. In the words of David Abernethy, a partner at Corrs Chambers Westgarth and one of the adjudicators, “It’s best to do a lot of listening and prevent it from getting too adversarial.” These were the main attributes that saw Stone and Nuich awarded QUT’s best negotiation team.

Nuich was also named MVN (Most Valuable Negotiator) for keeping her calm amidst a tense and somewhat antagonistic atmosphere. Abernethy noted that she “kept structure to the negotiation and brought things back to the point in times of chaos.”

Nguyen also received a special mention for fulfilling a similar role to Nuich, by “calming down her hot headed partner”, Abernethy said.

Nonetheless, the losing team should be commended for their efforts as it was their first time negotiating and had left themselves little time to prepare; quite a contrast from the victorious pair, who were well prepared and regularly compete in the Model United Nations together.

A successful and entertaining evening was the general consensus. Gina Hegarty, the Human Resources Coordinator at Corrs Chambers Westgarth, was very pleased with the turnout and the overall smoothness of the evening. “I look forward to hosting the competition here again next year,” she said.