Competitions
Legal competitions are a long-standing tradition at Adelaide Law School. They provide students with an opportunity to apply the theoretical knowledge learnt in the lecture theatre and develop practical legal skills used as a lawyer. The Competitions Portfolio runs trial and practice-based competitions for all experience levels.
Semester One Competitions:
Thomson Geer Open Moot
LK Novice Moot
Paper Presentation
Leo Cussen Negotiations
College of Law Client Interviewing
Witness Examination
Semester Two Competitions:
First Year Moot
Shaw Legal and Advisory Criminal Law Moot
AULSA x FLSA Intervarsity Client Interviewing
Kain Lawyers Mergers and Acquisitions
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The highest-level moot which the AULSA offers is the Open Moot. It is available for all LLB students to enter, however recommended that competitors have reached the later stages of a different moot, or some mooting experience. Students can compete in teams of 2 to 3 and are marked as team throughout the competition.
It consists of: - 2 Preliminary Rounds, - a Quarter Final, - a Semi Final, and - a Grand Final. Competitors compete in teams of 2 or 3.
All competitors progress through the first preliminary round, and the top 8 teams progress to the quarter finals. From there the winners of each round progress to the next.
The winners of this competition have the opportunity to represent the AULSA at the National ALSA Championship Moot.
Open to: All law students.
Recommended for: For Second year law students and beyond who have previously competed in the Novice Moot or First Year Moot Competition. -
The Novice Moot is open to all students who have not reached the finals stage of any other moot. However, because the competition features a broader array of practice areas than the First Year Moot, we recommend the Novice Moot for second-year students and above.
If you are beyond your first year but not quite confident enough for the Open Moot, the Novice Moot is a great place to start! Mooting is one of the best ways to improving your legal reasoning and public speaking skills. In the Novice Moot, competitors argue appellate cases by preparing their written submissions over a week-long period and then arguing their case before a judge.
Teams are made up of two people (senior and junior counsel) but competitors are judged on their individual performance!
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The Negotiations competition involves two teams of two solicitors meeting to discuss and resolve a dispute between their clients. Each team is given a brief of secret facts about their client’s situation, including what the client wants and doesn’t want. It is the job of the solicitors to negotiate together in good faith to resolve the dispute in a way that makes both parties happy. For this reason, the winner is not necessarily the team that walks away with the best deal, but the team who uses strategy and tactics to obtain the most favourable outcome.
Open to: All law students.
Recommended for: Law students in all year levels.
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The Client Interviewing competition is a simulated interview between a team of two students acting as lawyers, and a client seeking an initial legal consultation.
The competition focuses on interviewing skills and is therefore the perfect competition for students in all year levels. Please note that competitors are still expected to have a basic grasp of the law.
Open to: Law students in all year levels.
Recommended for: Law students in all year levels.
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In the Witness Examination competition, competitors simulate a civil or criminal trial. Most rounds are conducted in teams of two (senior and junior counsel) and one non-competitive witness for each side. Competitors are given witness statements and information 90 minutes before the trial commences and must prepare a short case in that time. They deliver opening statements to the judge, question witnesses and then summarise their case while attempting to put forward the best case possible. The competition involves quick thinking, improvisation and the ability to go toe-to-toe with a usually uncooperative witness!
While members will compete as teams in the Preliminary rounds, they will be marked as individuals and progress through to the final rounds of the competition as individuals.
Open to: Law students in all year levels.
Recommended for: Law students in second year and above.
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Paper presentation involves researching and writing a legal essay on any topic of choice between 3000 and 5000 words. It can be an essay you’ve already completed for class! You will be assessed on the written quality, including compliance to AGLC and your ability to explain and defend your ideas.
The top 4 competitors will present their essays as an oral presentation for 15 minutes in a Semi-Final. A judging panel will then question you on your presentation for 10 minutes. The winner will have the opportunity to represent the AULSA at the ALSA Paper Presentation Competition! -
The First Year Moot is only open to First Year students(E.g. Joined in 2026 Semester 1 or Semester 2) and is the perfect environment to ease yourself into the mooting. The competition features a limited array of practice areas and it is strongly recommended for First Years to participate.
In the First Year Moot, similar to the Novice Moot, competitors argue appellate cases by preparing their written submissions over a week-long period and then arguing their case before a judge. The First Year Moot competition is one of the best ways to improving your legal reasoning and public speaking skills in a setting specifically build around nurturing these skills.
Teams are made up of two people (senior and junior counsel) but competitors are judged on their individual performance!
Open to: First Year Law Students.
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A mooting environment focused on all matters criminal law. It is available for all LLB students to enter, however recommended that competitors have reached the later stages of a different moot, or some mooting experience. Students can compete in teams of 2 to 3 and are marked as team throughout the competition.
It consists of:- 2 Preliminary Rounds,
- a Quarter Final,
- a Semi Final, and
- a Grand Final.
Competitors compete in teams of 2 or 3.
All competitors progress through the first preliminary round, and the top 8 teams progress to the quarter finals. From there the winners of each round progress to the next.
Open to: All law students.
Recommended for: For Second year law students and beyond who have previously competed in a Mooting competition and have completed the subject of Criminal Law. -
This Client Interviewing competition offers a simulated interview between a team of two students acting as lawyers, and a client seeking an initial legal consultation while allowing for you participate in a jointly run competition with the Flinders Law Students Association.
Focusing on interviewing skills, this is the perfect competition for students in all year levels. Please note that competitors are still expected to have a basic grasp of the law.
Take up this chance to form friendships and rivalries with our fellow legal peers at Flinders University.
Open to: Law students in all year levels.
Recommended for: Law students in all year levels.
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Every wonder if the commercial legal practise might be your style, well this competition is the chance for you to explore this pathway. In Mergers and Acquisitions you will navigate a handcrafted problem based around real life commercial practise and situations. Split into three district phases, this competition allows for you build upon work done in earlier rounds through an evolving problem question with a focus on navigating client expectations, demands and commercial realities towards the ultimate goal of getting the best for your client.
It consists of:
- 1 Written Advice letter which you work through with your client in an Oral Advice round
- A Semi-final round Oral Advice round and Key issue list on a on either the Buyer or Seller side
- A Grand Final Negotiation round on the side of a Buyer or Seller.
If you want an insight into the realities of commercial practise, especially that of the Merger and Acquisitions sector, this is the perfect competition for you.
Open to: All law students.
Recommended for: For Second year law students and beyond.
The Competitions team is aware that signing up to compete can be intimidating, so encourages you to join them at Competitions Information Sessions held in week one of both semesters. At this session, you’ll learn all about the competitions we run and what to expect as a competitor. You’ll also hear from students who have previously competed.
Not quite ready to compete? The Competitions Portfolio is always on the lookout for volunteers to act as clients during competitions. Clients receive a script and answer questions based on that script during the competition. Witness likewise receive a script and the opportunity if they wish to discover their inner broadway actor. It’s lots of fun to play a unique character and a safe way to learn how competitions work.
Each year guest lawyers and past competition winners are called back to judge the competitions, providing an immensely beneficial experience for both participants and spectators.
Winners of AULSA competitions can nominate to compete at national competitions at the Australian Law Students’ Association Annual Conference.
Publications
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AULSA Competitions Dates Semester 1 2026
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AULSA Competitions Dates Semester 2 2026
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AULSA Competitions Handbook 2026
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Draft - AULSA Competitions Policy 2026
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Information Night Semester 1 2026 Presentation
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Information Night Semester 2 2026 Presentation
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Competitions Scoring Guide
Competitions Feedback
Lodging a Grievance
All participants, volunteers and judges can lodge a Grievance form on any matter relating to competitions and their execution. These will be reviewed only by the Director of Competitions and are a chance for you to privately express any complaints you have. Please note that this is not the forum to express any appeals, they are to provided in written form through an email to the relevant Director of Competitions.
Competitors, Volunteers and Judges can provide their feedback on any round on of the competition through the following links. Our Directors of Competitions will review your feedback during the competitions with the outlook at improving the AULSA competition experience at all levels. Thank you very much for taking the time to complete these forms.