University of Aberdeen Law Diploma students Ailsa Gardyne and Callum Leeson have beaten off international teams to win a prestigious legal competition in Poland.
The pair were victorious in the national round of the Scottish Client Consultation Competition in February, earning them a place in the International Brown Mosten Client Consultation Competition, where they were the overall winners.
The competition provides an exciting opportunity for law students to learn and practice interviewing and counselling skills as well as to meet student and newly-trained lawyers from a range of nations and cultures.
The international finals brought together university teams from 22 countries across the world including Canada, Australia, Nigeria , USA, Ukraine, Malaysia and New Zealand. The theme for the competition, held in Lublin in Poland, was international humanitarian law - an area of law which the Aberdeen students had not previously encountered.
University of Aberdeen Law Diploma students Ailsa Gardyne and Callum Leeson
But the Aberdeen duo quickly came into their own, winning through two preliminary rounds and then a semifinal by demonstrating their understanding of issues ranging from alleged war crimes to computer hacking. In the final they came out on top against strong opposition from teams from Ireland and the Netherlands, with judges giving them top marks for the interview, the advice they gave and the way they reflected on the law and the needs of the client.
It is the first time a team from the University of Aberdeen has won the international competition, which has been running since 1985. Ailsa and Callum received their medals from Forrest S Mosten, who has served as Chair of the competition for over 25 years.
Val Bremner, Director of the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice at the University's School of Law, praised the pair on their success. “This is a fantastic achievement by Ailsa and Callum, and we congratulate them on their hard work and the world class skills they demonstrated in Lublin to win such a prestigious international competition,” she said.
“The Law School here at Aberdeen teaches important practical legal skills such as these to ensure our students are well equipped to enter the legal profession when they finish their studies."