Dundee Hosts Competition to Develop Legal Skills

At the end of January, the University of Dundee Law Department hosted the 2006 Scottish Client Counselling Competition. This competition tests the skills of students in interviewing clients about various legal problems. Employment law was the theme for this year. The competition involved teams of students currently undertaking the Diploma in Legal Practice at Dundee, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Robert Gordon Universities and at Glasgow Graduate School of Law. The Diploma is a skills based postgraduate course taken by law graduates before starting their training as solicitors.

David Brand, Director of Studies of the Diploma at Dundee, who organised the conference, said: "This competition simulates the interview process between solicitors and clients and teams are judged on their practical skill and ability to deal with specific situations as they arise. It enables competitors to develop a particular legal skill which is essential for all prospective solicitors".

The competition was sponsored by the Law Society of Scotland and Tayside Solicitors Property Centre and the clients acting out the scenarios were former acting and performance students from The Space, Dundee College. The competition was judged by a panel of experienced lawyers including former President of the Law Society of Scotland, Alistair Clark of Dundee.

The Glasgow Graduate School of Law team were judged to be winners and will represent Scotland at the International Client Counselling Competition in Cardiff in April. Previous Scottish teams, including one from Dundee, have been winners or runners-up in the International Competition which has been held worldwide from Hawaii to New Zealand.