The National Client Consulting competition organized by Kerala Law Academy Law College promotes greater knowledge and interest among law students in practical laws and Consulting functions of law practice. It also encourages participants to develop interviewing, planning, and analytical skills in the lawyer-client relationship as interviewing and advising areas form a significant part of most lawyers’ work. The Competition thereby provides an opportunity for a valuable educational interchange between students, law teachers, and legal practitioners.
About The Competition
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the prestigious 21st National Client Consulting Competition for Justice P. Govinda Menon Memorial Ever Rolling Trophy, hosted by the Kerala Law Academy will be held on virtual mode from 11th to 13th November 2021 from the Kerala Law Academy Campus, Peroorkada, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
Regulations
Eligibility
The Competition is open to all Law Colleges/Law schools/Law Universities and Faculties/University Departments of Law in India recognized by the Bar Council of India. The participation is limited to LL.B/ B.L./ B.G.L. students both in the Three-year Scheme and Five-Year Scheme. Students doing post-graduation in law and students undergoing correspondence courses are not eligible to participate in the Competition. Only one team from each participating college shall be registered for the competition. Each team shall comprise two students
Registration
Provisional Registration – All the interested teams for the competition are requested to duly fill the google form for the purpose of provisional registration- Google Form Link
The selected teams will get an email confirmation from us, after which the final registration should be completed by submitting the filling the proforma provided in the Kerala Law Academy website–https://keralalawacademy.in/forms/21st-national-client-consulting/ and make online payment of Rs 2750/- as registration fee.
Competition Format
The Competition simulates a law office consultation in which two law students, acting as lawyers are presented with a client matter. The students are given a brief written memorandum that identifies the general nature of the subject matter of the client’s problem before the interviews are held. The students conduct an interview with a person playing the role of the client. During the interview period, students are expected to elicit the relevant information from the client, explore with the client his or her preferred outcome, outline the nature of the problem, and present the client with a means (or range of alternatives, if appropriate) for resolving the problem. The interview with the client is then followed by a post-consultation period during which the students, in the absence of the client, analyze the interview and discuss the legal and other work to be undertaken. The interview and post-consultation period last a total of 35 minutes. The interview period will be 25 minutes and the post-consultation period will be 10 minutes. The students are evaluated by a panel of judges, usually composed of three lawyers or two lawyers and a counselor. The inclusion of a non-lawyer counselor on the judging panel may broaden the interdisciplinary perspectives of the panel both in terms of skills and possible solutions to a problem. The students are evaluated against specific criteria that emphasize the use of listening, questioning, planning, and analytical skills in a lawyer/client interview. Once the judges have completed their evaluation of the interview, the students may be called back and the judges may, at their discretion, ask questions for clarification or provide a brief critique of the team’s handling of the consultation and post-consultation periods.
Composition Of Teams
Participating Colleges/Universities are eligible to enter one team composed of two law students. Students conduct the simulated interviews in teams of two in order to provide mutual assistance and support in researching, planning, and conducting the interview. There is the added benefit of encouraging students to work cooperatively. Persons from other Colleges and Universities who are not participating are encouraged to observe the Competition.
Competition Rounds
There will be four rounds namely preliminary rounds, quarter-final, semi-final, and final rounds. Each group will be judged by a panel of two or three judges in the preliminary and quarterfinal rounds and a panel of three judges in the semi-final and final rounds. From preliminary, quarter-final rounds, teams with the highest number of points will be qualified to participate in the next round respectively, while the semi-final and final rounds will be knock-out rounds. A panel of judges may be from among the following categories. Practicing Lawyers, Judges, Counsellors, Psychologists. In each panel, at least one judge shall be a practicing lawyer.
Judging Criteria
Immediately following each team’s post-consultation presentation, the judges may provide the team with a critique of the team’s handling of the consultation and post-consultation periods. This critique should focus on the Assessment Criteria. The critique should last no more than ten (10) minutes. The competition shall be judged on the basis of the following criteria:
- Establishing the working atmosphere and professional approach
- Eliciting the problem of the client and the tools used in so doing
- Identifying the Clients’ goals, expectation and needs
- Analysis and formulation of the problem with precision
- Suggesting alternatives
- Allowing the client to informed choice
- Effective conclusion of the counselling session
- Team work
- Management of ethical and professional relation with the client–dealing with emotional and legal needs of the client.
- Post interview session (interaction among themselves)
Judging Panel
The Competition organizer is responsible for selecting judges for the preliminary, quarter-final, semi-final, and final rounds of the Competition.
No one who judged an earlier round can act as a judge in the final round. Faculty advisors/team coaches shall not act as judges. The Organizing Committee will provide a Judges’ Briefing prior to the Rounds. All judges, as well as students, shall receive a copy of the “Assessment Criteria and Score sheet Form.” All judges will also be supplied with a copy of the consultation situation for the round they will be judging, a copy of the Rules, and a detailed confidential memorandum about the client’s background and concerns. Judges are instructed that the “Assessment Criteria and Score sheet Form” are to be used as guidelines in assessing the respective merits of the participants in the Competition. Considering the nature of the Competition, it would be impossible for judges to adhere strictly to totally objective guidelines. After the Competition has been completed, each team’s Assessment Criteria and Score sheet Form, along with the rankings of the judges for that team, may be available to the team, if needed. Judges should take notes as they observe each team’s performance and base their critiques on specific observations from their notes in light of the Assessment Criteria.
Clients
The Competition organizer is responsible for selecting students to play the role of the client for each of the sessions. Each client will be supplied with a packet containing the
consultation situation and a detailed confidential memorandum concerning the client’s background and concerns. The Organizer Committee will provide each Client sufficient briefing prior to the Rounds. Clients may be consulted by the judging panel, at their discretion, at the conclusion of around.
Team Codes
- In order to preserve anonymity each team will be identified to the judges only by a team code which will be given to each team at registration.
- Teams that have conducted their interviews in a particular session will be segregated from those who have not yet participated. Other teams, participants and observers shall not be allowed to watch the preliminary and quarterfinal rounds.
- Other teams, participants and observers will be allowed to watch the semi final and final rounds. .
- All Participants agree to their interviews being videotaped and used in tapes produced by the Client interviewing Competition.
- Office Memo
On 01-11-2021 an office memorandum will be sent by the organizers to the registered teams, which will briefly outline the general nature of the topic/subject for the competition. All the participants will receive a copy of the Written Memoranda via email (in either of the participant’s emails which they provide at the time of registration), the participating team should confirm the acceptance of the Memoranda to the Student Convenor via email within two days of the communication of Memoranda.
Competition Topic
The subject matter of the problem will be based on Law of Torts, Property, Contract/Specific relief, Intellectual Property Rights, and incidentally it may touch other laws, which includes Penal laws and Constitutional law.
- The Judges will receive a copy of the Judging criteria/Memoranda before the competition and will be briefed by the organizers before the round, in which they are to judge.
- The teams will pick lots and accordingly get the team code and the rooms where they will be judged. The preliminary round may take place in six rooms simultaneously. The clients in each round will have the same problem (Number of rooms may be subject to change).
- Once the rounds start, the competing teams should not be interacting with others till that round gets over as this may unduly benefit certain teams. Such an interaction will be misconduct and the teams so interacting, if found out, may be disqualified.
Valuation Procedure
- Each judge will evaluate for a maximum of 50 marks independently. The score of all the judges for each team will be added up and then listed according to their scoring (best team scoring highest points) depending on the number of participating teams. In the order of merit, the top 10 teams will go to quarter finals. From the quarter finals, top six teams will be going to semi finals. If there is a tie for the 6th position, one of the teams scoring the same marks for the 6th position will be eligible to go to the semi-finals by picking of lots. These numbers are subject to change based on the number of participating teams.
- The list of teams going to the quarter finals, semi-finals and finals will be notified as soon as possible after the respective rounds are over.
- The winner will be awarded the Justice P. Govinda Menon Memorial Ever Rolling Trophy and other prizes and a cash prize of Rs 50,000 (Rupees Fifty Thousand only). The Runners-up will also be awarded a trophy and other prizes and a cash prize of Rs 30,000 (Rupees Thirty Thousand only).
- The dress code for the competition is formal. Men are required to wear Black suit with white shirt and black tie. Women are required to wear white shirt, Black trousers/skirt and black jacket or Salwar kameez and black jacket. Gowns and bands are not permitted to be worn by the Participants in the Competition.
- The participants have to report to the virtual chamber/ online platform of the Kerala Law Academy law college before 4.30 P.M. on 11-11-2021.
Online Platform
The competition is conducted through the online platforms ZOOM and GOOGLE MEET. The Meeting ID and passcode or the link for access to the platform will be provided to the participants’ registered email at least 20 minutes before each round. The access link/code to the semi-final and final rounds will be provided to all. All the participating teams should have good access to the internet and be able to access the above said online platform with a good camera. This is a mandatory requirement for participation.
The organizers are entitled to change the format of the competition, without prior intimation. In case of complaints/disputes, the same shall be submitted to the Appeal Committee, which shall consist of Sri. K. Hareendran, the Professor in charge of Principal of KLA as its President, and two other faculty members of the host institution. The decision of the Appeal Committee shall be final.
Registration
The team for the competition must register on or before 25.10.2021 (25th October 2021), after complying with the formalities in Clause (2) of the Regulations above, by submitting the duly filled Proforma provided in the Kerala Law Academy website https://keralalawacademy.in/wp/ .
Schedule Of The Competition
Registration: On or before 25-10-2021
Online Desk Reporting: 4.30 pm, 11-11-2021
Inaugural Function: 5.00 pm, 11-11-2021
Briefing Session and Pick of Lots: 7.00 pm, 11-11-2021
Preliminary Rounds: 8.00 am, 12-11-2021
Quarter-Final Rounds: 3.30 pm, 12-11-2021
Semi-Final Rounds: 9.00 am, 13-11-2021
Finals: 3.00 pm, 13-11-2021
Valedictory Function & Prize Distribution: 5.30 pm, 13-11-2021
Important Dates
- Release of Notification: 11th September 2021
- Release of Rules and Guidelines: 11th September 2021
- Registration: From 11th September 2021 to 25th October 2021
- Last date for submission of registration forms, online payment/receipt of demand draft: 25th October 2021
- Release of subject Memoranda: 1st November 2021
- Reporting, inauguration, briefing & picking of lots: 11th November 2021
- Competition rounds: 12th & 13th November 2021
Contact
For any queries, please write to mcs[at]keralalawacademy.in or contact any of the following:
Faculty Convenors –
- Dr. Dakshina Saraswathy (General Secretary, Moot Court Society) – 9744169215
- Adv. Arya Sunil Paul (Assistant Professor & Member MCS Faculty Team) – 9495178906
Student Convenors –
- Ajay Y (Student Convenor, Moot Court Society) – 9746525734
- Hrishikesh Jayasarman (Student Joint Convenor, Moot Court Society)– 7025263839
- Sruthi Kannan (Student Joint Convenor, Moot Court Society) – 8921194385
- Nandakishore A
- Arjun PM
- Gopika Sasi
- Darsana Vikram
- Sreedurga
- Abhirami S
- Ananthu R.S
Co-Convenors
- Gowri A.H
- Namitha Babu
Disclaimer
- The competition will be held either in Google Meet or Zoom or both. All the participants are required to have the respective app.
- During the competition, participants are required to use Desktops or laptops. Mobile phones can cause technical issues and therefore not encouraged
- Sound internet connection is a mandatory requirement. The organisers will not be responsible for any such connection errors from the part of the participants
- In each panel or section there will be a technical assistant who will be helping the participants, judges and the client to deal with the technical issues.
- The organising team will take all the responsibility in case of any technical error on the part of the organisers.
- Screen Sharing or any other kind of malpractices are not allowed and if found, such team will be disqualified
- When the competition starts the team members are asked to switch on their videos till the end of the session. With respect to the mike the team has to un-mute it while they are speaking and mute when they are not speaking in order to avoid disturbances
- Team members are requested to participate in the competition in a closed or disturbance free area for the smooth functioning of the competition.
- Link, passcode or entry for the particular slot will be send to the registered email id sufficient early. The teams are supposed to join the slot 15 mins prior to the actual time.
- An office memo will be provided for all the teams regarding a general idea of the problem. It can be vague or misleading. Such vagueness is intentional. Teams have to elicit proper information from the client at the time of the interview.
Previous Posts
Two-Day National Conference on “Calibrating Corporate Governance in New Economy”
4th National Essay Writing Competition
Call For Chapters For Edited Book International Law & Policy
Call For Chapters For Edited Book Insolvency And Bankruptcy Code
Keywords
Kerala Law Academy, National Client Consulting, Kerala Law Academy Law College
