Sponsored by Freehills

The 2010 Freehills Client Interview Competition is a team event which provides students with the opportunity to achieve practical skills which are of great value to many professions, not just legal practitioners. The art of building rapport with clients by achieving rapid engagement and active listening cannot be underestimated, and Client Interview in particular is one competition which has no parallel within the Law School’s formal curriculum.

The 2010 Freehills Client Interview Competition is a simulated conference in which teams of two lawyers interview a client for the first time. The focus of the competition is the identification of the nature of the client’s problem, investigation of relevant background and the suggestion of an appropriate structured solution. Given these objectives, no knowledge of the substantive law is necessary, and only limited pre-interview preparation is required. The problems consist of a short memorandum, such as a law office secretary might give to interviewing practitioners when a client has called to make an appointment. The competition aims to provide students with an opportunity to develop their client interview technique and enhance their skills of perception and communication, proficiencies which are essential in day-to-day legal practice.

The Coordinator of the 2010 Freehills Client Interview is Rosie Staude. Please direct all queries to competitions@blackstone.asn.au

Competition Dates

Round 1: Tuesday 16^th, Wednesday 17^th, Tuesday 23^rd & Wednesday 24^th March 2010

Round 2: Tuesday 20^th & Wednesday 21^st April 2010

Round 3: Tuesday 27^th April 2010

Semi-Final: Tuesday 4^th May 2010

Grand Final: Tuesday 11^th May 2010

Competition Materials

-          Assessment Sheet
-          Information for Clients
-          Information for Competitors
-          Information for Judges
-          Rules
-          Problem Guidelines
-          Client Interview Guide
-          Sample Client Interview Problem