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The Client Interviewing Competition for England & Wales
What is it all about?

The competition seeks to encourage the promotion of the skills involved with client interviewing within an educational context.

The Client Interviewing Competition started in the UK in 1984, following its inception in the United States. It is an annual competition for law students in interviewing and counselling skills which centres on a simulated law office interview. Law students, working in teams of two, interview and advise a "client". Their management of the interview is judged according to the judging criteria e.g. establishing a good working relationship with the client, recognising and handling the legal problems, ethical and personal issues, including costs, and finally offering appropriate advice. The competition requires students not merely to know the law relating to a particular subject matter, but also to employ effective interviewing techniques and be aware of a variety of considerations which they might not otherwise appreciate as law students. A post-interview reflection is an integral part of the competition which allows the students to explain their techniques, discuss the law and their projected strategies and provides an opportunity for self-criticism.