A team of Liverpool Hope University law students is heading to the National Finals of a major competition after triumphing in the regional heats.
Serena Conway and Aglae Chatelard were taking part in the highly-respected Client Interviewing Competition, which is run by a committee of academics from law schools in England and Wales.
It’s a contest that sees future legal stars entering a simulation of a working law office and interviewing potential ‘clients’, played by actors.
And having placed in the top four during this month’s Northern regional heat - held at the University of Sunderland - Serena and Aglae will now take part in the National Finals at University College London on March 14th.
The duo - both second year students - had to work hard to progress, beating Manchester Met, UCLAN, Newcastle and Sunderland universities in the process.
The two scenarios the pair faced both involved disputes with neighbours.
Team coach Dr Richard Lang, Associate Professor in European & International Law, explains: “In one scenario, the team had to advise a client whose neighbours had accused her of 'killing' their tree.
“And in the other, an animal rights activist client sought advice about her liability having gone onto her neighbour's land to set free his goats!
“Needless to say, the goats then overturned a barbecue thus setting fire to the fence.
“The organisers had promised more 'personality' issues this year - which we got in spades.
“But complex legal issues were also addressed, namely nuisance, negligence and trespass - all turning on an issue of damage to property.
“The ethos of the competition itself is to foster the ‘hard’ skills involved in tackling a new legal problem, and the ‘soft’ skills of counselling someone who is confused and afraid.”
Remarkably, Serena and Aglae recorded the highest score of any team in the Northern heat on the 'goat' case.
Meanwhile the other universities heading to the National Finals are Brighton, Cardiff, Exeter, Hull, Kent, London Southbank, Nottingham Trent, Oxford Brookes, Plymouth, Sheffield Hallam and Sussex.
The winner of that prize then has the option of joining the International Competition, which takes place 15-18th April at Stetson University College of Law, Tampa, Florida, USA.