Two Liverpool John Moores University students have fought off stiff competition from rival institutions to win a prestigious law contest.
Jennifer Calvert, 21 and Aisling Owens, 19, competed against 55 teams from law schools across England and Wales to become winners of this year’s National Negotiating Competition.
This is the second major contest won by LJMU. Last year law graduates Satya Chotalia and Sara Anzani triumphed in the English Speaking Union-Essex Court Chambers National Mooting Competition.
Jennifer and Aisling first qualified at a regional level to take part in the National Negotiation Competition, which took place at the University of Leicester.
In the national finals they faced undergraduates and postgraduates from ten institutions including the College of Law (Bloomsbury), University College London and Manchester Metropolitan University.
Teams of two went head-to head in three separate dispute-related and deal-making scenarios, attempting to negotiate satisfactory resolutions. They were judged by a panel of professional lawyers who marked them on the quality of their arguments, the justification for their actions and their overall negotiation strategies. The pressurised and fast-paced environment required presence of mind, quick-thinking and numerous hours of preparation.
LJMU law lecturer Sarah Hardy-Pickering, who coached Jennifer and Aisling with senior lecturer Ian Johnson, said: “We are delighted but not at all surprised at their victory. Their success is a testament to their natural abilities to think creatively, problem solve and engage with their clients’ brief. Their very thorough preparation and the huge amount of time and effort they devoted to the event were commendable and we are truly overjoyed at their well deserved triumph.�
After taking part in the competition, both students hope to have a career involving negotiation.
Aisling said: “I really feel that this experience has opened new doors for me and has shaped my aspirations for the future. I always wanted to be in the law profession but I now specifically want to be in negotiation, which means I will most likely choose to specialise in either contract or family law.�
Jennifer added: “The skills we have learned through taking part in the competition aren’t only relevant in law but in all walks of life and we definitely now have more confidence and are set on achieving our dream careers.
“We were up against students far more qualified than ourselves but we invested a vast amount of time preparing and knew exactly what each other was going to say, and when. Our relationship in that sense was invaluable and I really think it’s the reason we won.�
As winners of the national competition, Jenny and Aisling go forward to represent England and Wales in the 2008 International Negotiation Competition which will be held in London in July.