Winning words: Brighton students take first place in legal skills contest

Two Brighton law students have clinched first place in a prestigious regional legal competition – beating out teams from ten other universities.

Oksana Stuart and Neill Garrard – both students on the LLM Law Conversion course – travelled to London in February to represent the university in the regional finals of the Client Interviewing Competition, hosted by the University of Law in Moorgate. Tasked with interviewing mock clients on consumer contracts, they were assessed on how well they built rapport, asked investigative questions, and offer clear and ethical legal advice. And they won Brighton the first-place position, beating out ten universities – with the University of Sussex placing second, and Oxford Brookes University placing third.

Oksana said: “Participating in the client interviewing competition was an invaluable experience, providing practical exposure to legal client interactions. It enhanced my ability to think quickly under pressure, adapt to client needs, and deliver effective legal solutions during complex conversations.”

Oksana and Neill were selected to represent the university after a successful internal client interviewing competition in the Law School. The competition is one of three extra-curricular activities run in the Law School to help prepare learners for real-world practice. It gives students a head-start on the skills they’ll need for their legal careers – but they’re also transferable to other graduate roles where skills like logical reasoning, communication, and advocacy are an advantage.

Matt Parr, Partner at local law firm Mayo Wynne Baxter, judged the internal final and noted that this year’s students were “the best set of competitors” he had seen in recent years.

Dr Kate Fernandez, Senior Lecturer in Law, coached the students through both the internal competition and regional and national finals:

“We are very proud of Oksana and Neill in placing first in the regional final of the Client Interviewing Competition, which is testament to their hard work and determination to develop their legal skills through this competition.”

Find out more about studying Law Conversion LLM at Brighton.