Law students Olivier Pacaud and Paul-Georg Ender will be representing Kent in the national final of the annual Client Interviewing Competition after winning the Southern Regional heat on Saturday.
Olivier and Paul-Georg worked as a pair to interview a ‘client’ (a role-playing actor) in two different simulated law office scenarios. The law topic for both interviews was Damage to Property (Civil Law). One client was involved in a dispute with a neighbour about a tree and another raised an animal welfare issue. Teams were assessed according to strict criteria that focused on their interpersonal skills as well as their ability to handle a legal problem.
Both Olivier and Paul-Georg felt well-prepared for the competition thanks to a preparatory workshop and coaching provided by Lucinda Griffiths and Johanne Thompson. Lucinda convenes a module in Client Interviewing Skills at Kent Law School and Johanne is a Regional Director for the CIC. She also judges both national and international competitions for client interviewing, mooting and negotiation.
All students taking the Client Interviewing Skills at Kent compete in an internal competition – Olivier and Paul-Georg beat more than 20 other teams in the School to earn their place in the regional heat. They said: ‘We’re very self-critical of our own performance and we think that has really helped us to keep improving. We also did a lot of practice interviews and we’re very grateful to fellow law student Schnell Findley who gave up her time to be our “client”! It’s been a rewarding experience to represent our University in the regional heat and we’re very much looking forward to representing Kent in the national final.’
Four teams from each of three regional rounds now progress to the National Finals which will be held in London on Saturday 14 March.
The CIC is run by a committee of academics from law schools in England & Wales with prizes given by the Law Society of England & Wales. It is part of the International Client Consultation Competition which, this year, will be hosted by Stetson University College of Law in Tampa, Florida, from Wednesday 15 – Saturday 18 April.
Client Interviewing is one of three alternative dispute resolution options open to law students at Kent; the other two are Mediation and Negotiation. Students can also develop practical legal skills through participation in the work of Kent Law Clinic, and by taking extra-curricular modules in Mooting and Mock Trial Advocacy.