Structure of the Competition Preliminary Round 1: Week 4. Preliminary Round 2: Week 5. (After the Easter break) Quarter-Finals: Week 6. Semi-Finals: Week 7. Grand Finals: Week 12. The winners of the Senior and Junior Competitions will face off to determine who represents the UNLSA at the Australian Law Students’ Association (ALSA) Conference, to be held in Perth from the 9-16 July 2013.

Structure of the Sessions Teams of two people represent a client who is in dispute with an opposing client and their respective solicitors. Solicitors sit a negotiation in a private room at a table across from their opposing solicitors and with a judge present. During negotiation time, all parties discuss the desired outcome of their respective clients to work towards finding a resolution that is just and works with consideration towards both of the disputing clients.

Structure of the Sessions 30 minute negotiation: -Each team may call a private 5 minute break, but the clock will not be stopped. 5 minutes extra time at the discretion of the judge. 5 minute reflection preparation in private. 10 minute reflection in front of the judge-team minute reflection in front of the judge-team 2. Maximum time per session: 60 mins.

Marking Criteria 1)Planning: Judging from their performance and their apparent strategy, how well prepared did this team appear to be? Mark out of 5. 2)Flexibility: How flexible did this team appear to be in adapting its strategy to developing the negotiation, e.g. to new information or to unforseen moves by the opposing team? Mark out of 5. 3)Outcome: Based on what you observed in the negotiation and the self-analysis, to what extent did the outcome of the session, regardless of whether an agreement was reached, serve the client’s goals? Mark out of 5.

Marking Criteria 4)Teamwork: How effective were the negotiators in working together as a team, in sharing responsibility and providing mutual backup? Mark out of 5. 5)Relationship between the negotiating teams: Did the way this team manage its relationship with the other team contribute to or detract from achieving their client’s best interests? Mark out of 5. 6)Ethics: To what extent did the negotiating team observe or violate the ethical requirements of a professional relationship? Mark out of 5.

Marking Criteria 7)Self analysis: -In reflecting on the entire negotiation, if you faced a similar situation tomorrow, what would you do the same and what would you do differently? -How well did your strategy work in relation to the outcome? Based on the team’s self analysis during the review session, how adequately has it learned from today’s negotiation? Mark out of 5. Total: Mark out of 35.

Preparation Classify interests: -Mutual. -Competing. -Somewhere in between. Classify key issues: -Willing to concede. -Desirable but not absolutely necessary. -Non-negotiable.

Preparation Consider solutions: -Research realistic solutions. -Be creative. Assign roles.

HELPFUL TIP! Draft an agenda sheet to present during the negotiation outlining: The issues in dispute. Potential/desired outcomes that are negotiable and what these entail for both parties.

During the Negotiation Introduction: - Introduce yourself and your client’s name formally. - State what you desire from the negotiation – eg. A just outcome that works for the best interests of both parties. Exchange agendas. State your client’s position, why they hold that position and brainstorm solutions. Be assertive not aggressive. Negotiating should be a non- adversarial exercise. Trade concessions. Don’t get bogged down.

Remember… Be assertive, not aggressive. Negotiating should be a non-adversarial exercise. Work towards achieving your own clients desires but respect those of the opposing client at the same time. Focus on moving through each issue swiftly. Don’t get bogged down and stuck on one issue. If you cannot come to an agreement on a particular issue, work towards proposing the next steps for your clients in resolving that issue.

Reflection Critique your performance, including: - What did you do well? - What could you improve on? - Discuss your strategies. Remember: The team that wins may not necessarily be the team that walks away with the best outcome!

Question Time! Feel free to ask the winners of the 2012 Negotiation Competition – Rebecca Giles and Samantha Baldwin –any questions you may have about Negotiation!

Why should you participate in the negotiation competition? How do you prepare for a negotiation competition? Can you tell us about your experiences competing at the ALSA Conference in Melbourne in 2012? Questions from the audience!

What is Paper Presentation? Involves an individual writing research paper on any topic of your choice, as long as it holds legal relevance. This paper is then to be followed up by a 15 minute oral presentation which is primarily based on the content of the paper itself.

Structure of the Competition Registration closes Week 7 – register at unlsa.com/competitions! Written papers are also due Week 7 on Monday the 22 nd April. Papers are to be submitted to Oral Presentations are held in Week 10, Semester 1. All competitors will receive a certificate and the chance to represent the UNLSA at the ALSA Conference in Perth from 9-16 July 2013!

Structure of the Written Paper Must be a written paper of between 3000 and 5000 words on any legal topic of your choosing. The paper can be written solely for the purpose of the paper presentation, or can be a paper previously written for academic purposes. Only one paper is to be submitted per person. Paper should include footnotes, headings and a bibliography following the Australian Guide to Legal Citation 3 standard, all of which is not included in the word limit. Explanatory footnotes are permitted but these will be included in the word limit.

Structure of the Oral Presentation Present a 15 minute oral presentation to a panel of judges. The written paper must be the substantive basis of the oral presentation. Following the presentation, the judge(s) have 10 minutes to question you based on your paper. Equipment, such as lecterns, whiteboards and PowerPoint projection devices are available for competitors to use.

Question Time!

Lastly, don’t be afraid to get involved! Participating in competitions is rewarding in that you get to have hands-on practical experience that enhances your law degree, as well as a networking base from meeting new people throughout different years of law school! Most importantly, don’t forget that competitions are created to be fun, so make the most of it and try your best – you have nothing to lose!