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By Christine Roulston
There’s no need for UVic to argue that its client counselling team is the best around. The team’s winning record speaks for itself.
Law students Nicole Smith and Brigeeta Richdale recently returned from the American Bar Association’s Client Counseling Competition in Dallas, Texas, where they won first place among 192 teams from across North America. The winning team is now headed to the World Client Counseling Competition taking place in Sydney, Australia from April 10 to 13.
What makes UVic’s mooting team stand out? “It’s a combination of factors,” says law professor Andrew Pirie who, along with Steve Perks and Marli Rusen, coached the team. “Nicole and Brigeeta show exceptional communication skills and the ability to empathize with the client. Judges are looking for communication skills, teamwork and legal knowledge.”
Mooting as it relates to client counseling involves two students conducting a client interview in front of judges with a client (played by an actor) who is seeking legal advice. The students know only the most basic information about the problem the client will bring forward and have 45 minutes to conduct an interview and offer preliminary advice.
UVic law teams have already won the Western Canada Mock Trial Competition, placed second at the national mock trial competition in Ottawa and second in the Canada round of the Jessup International Moot Competition, qualifying the team for the world finals held last month in Washington, DC.
“UVic law attracts students who are interested in these skills-based activities and we have highly-skilled faculty who are interested in coaching,” says Pirie. “We also have incredible support from the legal community, such as Heenan Blaikie, the law firm that supports students in traveling to the competitions.”
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