The weekend of 20th April saw 20 teams come to the University of Kent to take part in the 3rd Annual Thomson Reuters-Kent Law School National Law Student Triathlon.
Around 40 students took part in a negotiation, application exercise and moot all in the one weekend. In addition to Lord Justice Stephen Males, Judge Adele Williams DL and Judge Michael Stokes KC, the competition was supported by a number of Kent alumni who practise as barristers or solicitors.
This unique competition is sponsored by Thomson Reuters Case Center, which is the digital case and court presentation system used in many courts around the world. Competitors got to present their applications using the system. Ana Rojas, Senior Business Development Officer at Thomson Reuters, said, ‘What an incredible experience it was to witness law students from various universities come together and demonstrate their advocacy, negotiating and mooting skills in a dynamic setting. Thomson Reuters Case Center is immensely proud to serve as the exclusive sponsor of this remarkable initiative, which provides invaluable opportunities for our future legal profession to hone their talents and make a tangible impact in the field.’
Rach Tan and Sarah Walker from Oxford University were the winning team overall, with Kent Law School’s Adam Graves and Timo Wehye coming a close second. Adam said, ‘It was a great experience competing in the triathlon. I am delighted that we finished in second place as the University of Kent team. I also won individual awards for negotiation and mooting. Thank you for organising a great event that everyone really enjoyed’. Timo added, ‘The triathlon was a great experience to test so many legal skills on the same day and network with students and professional from across the UK. It marks part of a great end to my studies and extra curricular journey at Kent.’ 
Many of the students who participated took to social media platform, Linked-In, indicating how much they enjoyed the event. Raquel Grobe, from Swansea University, said, ‘The event was beautifully organised by Darren Weir, with various events as well as training sessions with Bernard Richmond KC planned throughout the day. I would like to thank all the judges for lending their time and expertise to creating such a fun and productive event’.
The competition took place predominantly in Kent Law School’s purpose built Wigoder Law Building. The building houses the law school’s award-winning law clinic and Kent’s Lawyering Skills Programme. Darren Weir, Director of the Lawyering Skills programme and founder of the competition said, ‘I established the triathlon to highlight the work that Kent Law School’s lawyering skills programme does, as well as give students from across the country the opportunity to hone and learn skills that academic programmes do not often cover. The competition, with the help of wonderful judges and an amazing sponsor, allows students to compete and learn in a fun filled and collegiate atmosphere. The triathlon is only open to law undergraduates, which is important, as that makes sure that everyone is pretty much on the same level’.
Next year’s competition has already been pencilled for the weekend of 25th April 2025. Any law school who wishes to enter a team is free to contact Darren Weir (d.weir@kent.ac.uk).