Every competition brings with it unique challenges and opportunities and few have the intensity of the International Negotiations Competition
An annual event that brings together students from around the world, many of who have won their own National Negotiation Competitions, to compete against and negotiation with each other. Leaving aside the complex, convoluted, commercial scenarios that required teams to balance different strategies and tactics to try to create a compelling formula, there were enough ethical traps, cultural intricacies to understand and engage with, and an overwhelming heat in the host city of London this July. And then we go back to the scenarios!
"The competition showed me the global nature of legal practice and how valuable it is to connect with people from different legal and cultural backgrounds. The relationships and insights I gained through the competition broadened my perspective on what it means to work in law today" (Maggie Jessop- Swansea student representing Wales at the International Negotiation Competition)
Wales enter a team every year and this time it was Swansea who won the combined England and Wales National Competition, hosted and organised by the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution, with third year Maggie Jessop and LPC student Samuel Berkeley prevailing against around 55 teams who entered the competition. This qualified them to represent Wales and after the Welsh National Representative gained permission for a second team to represent Wales, Swansea were able to field a second team of two students: second year students Melisssa James and Emily Law who had also qualified for the Nationals and performed exceptionally well. It quickly became clear that Melissa and Emily were the youngest participants in the International edition which only added to their motivations.
Over the course of the week long event, which included Masterclasses organised by CEDR from, amongst others, Sir Julian Smith, former hostage negotiator, Phillip Williams who talked about the power of listening and questioning, trainer Felicity Steadman who talked about industry negotiations in South Africa, and Professor Nancy Soonpaa from Texas Tech University who talked about the power of...power.
The event included four competition rounds with Sam and Maggie negotiating against teams from Brazil, Singapore, Ireland, Canada and Indonesia, while Melissa and Emily negotiated against teams from India, Brazil, Northern Ireland, Australia and Italy. All 4 students received superb feedback from judges from around the world and represented the Law School and the Communication Skills Programme superbly.
Emily said that: "Competing in the International Negotiation Competition was a huge privilege and an opportunity I am so grateful for. From the perspective of an undergraduate, I found it quite rare to have the chance to be pitted against so many postgraduates of such a high calibre in what was a safe and generous environment. I urge all law students to get involved in skills competitions if they are looking to build confidence or want to practise their legal skills in an educational environment. Thank you to the university for supporting the skills department making this adventure possible.”
A huge word of thanks to Acuity Law who supported the team in this competition and particularly Swansea graduate Emily John who has been our main liaison at Acuity Law.
For current or prospective students interested in learning more about the Swansea Law School Communication Skills Programme, contact Matthew Parry.