The UK’s first National Law Student Triathlon, sponsored by Thomson Reuters, will be hosted by Kent Law School in Spring 2022.
The Triathlon offers a unique opportunity for law students at universities across the UK to test their skills in negotiation, trial advocacy and mooting.
Over the course of a residential weekend, competitors will showcase their lawyering skills as they pursue the same civil case through a negotiation, first instance court appearance and appeal. The legal problem will be written by Kent alumnus Stuart Snow, a barrister at Stour Chambers in Canterbury.
Up to 24 law schools will compete in the event which will be hosted at the University of Kent’s Canterbury campus on Saturday 30 April/Sunday 1 May 2022. Kent’s Wigoder Law Building boasts a state-of-the-art replica courtroom which will be the focus for much of the competition.
Kent’s Director of Lawyering Skills Darren Weir said: ‘It promises to be a mega event. We are all used to seeing student competitions which focus on one “lawyering skill”. This will require skills in three! The students who enter this competition will really be telling future employers how committed they are. We want to showcase, in a single event, the array of lawyering skills that undergraduate students at Kent Law School and from across the country are now doing as part of their degrees. The event is directed at students who have not taken part in external competitions before which is why the weekend will also include talks and workshops designed to inspire students to pursue a career in the legal profession. There will be all sorts of prizes for the students as well as one for the law school of the winning team.’
The event is sponsored by Thomson Reuters who acquired CaseLines last summer. CaseLines digitises court processes and eliminates paper by managing all files on one common platform. Kent Law School was given access to CaseLines in 2019 when it became the first University law school in England and Wales to hold a paperless moot. Kent law students learn how to use the electronic system – used in all the Crown Courts (and some Civil Courts) in England and Wales – through the course of their studies and by participating in co-curricular modules in mooting and mock trial advocacy. Students who compete in the Triathlon will also be able to use the system.
Law Schools will be invited to enter teams of two students soon – follow @LawTriathlon on Twitter and/or @LawTriathlon on Instagram for updates!
