Two law students from Kent have been named ‘best mediating pair in the UK’.
Stacia Franz and Kelly McNulty won the accolade whilst competing in the finals of the National Mediation Competition hosted by Kingston University.
Kelly also won ‘second best individual mediator’ in the UK.
Stacia and Kelly, together with fellow team members Jonothan Boettcher and Chris Sivry, won the award for ‘third best mediation team’ in the UK. Each pair took part in four mediations, taking turns to adopt the roles of mediators and disputing parties.
The team will now go forward to represent Kent at the 14th Annual International Law School Mediation Championships organised by the International Academy of Dispute Resolution.
Kent students have already experienced success at an international level in mediation, with a team from the Law School winning ‘The Most Outstanding New Mediation Team’ trophy in Dublin in 2013. Last year a team from Kent competed in the international championships hosted in Chicago. This year, the competition will be held in London from 18 to 21 February.
The team of final year LLB Law students competing this year are all studying the Mediation Module, one of two non-credited Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) modules that have been running at the school since 2010. The second non-credited ADR module is the Negotiation Module; students studying this module also have a chance to compete at a national level.
Chris Sivry was full of praise for the work of Mediation Module convenor Janie Clement-Walker in preparing the team for the competition: ‘It did not take long for our team to realize how much better prepared we were when compared to our competitors. Much of that had to do with the high standard of instruction and coaching we received through Janie, as she effectively instilled us with the skills and confidence needed to succeed. All in all, this experience was definitely a highlight of my academic career at Kent.’
Both extracurricular modules provide an introduction to the skills required to resolve legal disputes without recourse to litigation. Students develop the practical skills required through workshops and competitions.
Although optional, successful completion of the ADR modules is noted on final degree transcripts.
Mediation and negotiation are amongst several options open to students at Kent Law School who are keen to develop their practical legal skills; other options include getting involved with the work of Kent Law Clinic, mooting, client interviewing and participation in mock trials.