Hannah Read: The Law Triathlon

On 21 March 2018, the legal skills triathlon took place at the law school. 8 teams of professionals and students paired up together to battle it out to see who would win the competition!

It was an extremely intense day, no one had been given any brief before the day, we strolled in at 8am with a coffee in hand ready to take on the day. When we arrived we were given a ‘pack’ which contained all of the documentation that we needed to prepare for the day!

There were 3 ‘tests’ which included advocacy, interviewing and negotiation (which I won best overall in!) all of which were different disciplines, which in itself is hard to get your head around in one day!

I learnt a lot from the student that I was paired up with (Remus) who though of lots of different ideas – it is great to see how well Derby University teach their students not just academic skills, but also practical skills!

I learnt a lot – including how difficult criminal defence law is in front of a Judge!!

Would I do it again?

Absolutely, I don’t know why you wouldn’t! There is an opportunity for you to learn skills from not just other professionals, but also students. Students would be silly to not apply for this day, it adds credit to your CV that you have practical skills, and shows that you have a wider knowledge other than just academia. I look forward to (hopefully) participating next year!

Hannah Read (Smith Partnership)