New Skills Developed, New Challenges Faced, New Summits Climbed.
Early August marked the end of another superb year for the participants in the Swansea Law School Communications Programme - an all-year round programme that focuses on developing skills of advocacy, negotiations, client interviewing, and mediation with students learning the skills and then testing their understanding in internal and inter-varsity competitions.
During the 2025/2026 academic year we entered students from all years of study in a total of thirty-two external competitions (with a further two not running for various reasons) and organised six internal competitions, including the RedKite LLP Medical Law Moot, the JCP Client Interviewing Competition, and the Morgan LaRoche Sports Law Negotiation Competition. In total opportunities were open to 192 students with 96 individual students gaining experience from the opportunities.
One aspect that sets Swansea aside from many other Law Schools in the United Kingdom is the commitment to ensuring that all students can take the opportunities on, irrespective of means. In this light thanks are due to the University for providing a budget to ensure that students are not responsible for the entry fees, travel costs, or, where needed, accommodation. This is made possible not only by the support of the University but by our loyal supporters within the legal industry. This year we are delighted to recognise the contributions of:
- JCP Solicitors
- RedKite Law LLP
- Acuity Law
- Morgan LaRoche Solicitors
- DW Harris
- Angel Chambers
- Iscoed Chambers
- Pendragon Chambers
Over the course of the year, our students broke new ground in two competitions. In May, three students: Emily Law, Cara Di Teodoro, and Maddie Matthews participated in the Athens International Negotiation Competition for the first time and came away as winners. Then in June, Keara-Lynn Douglas and Charlotte Mathieu became the first team from Wales to win the English Speakers Union-Essex Court Chambers Mooting Competition. This is the flagship mooting competition, involving up to 64 teams from England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The team had to overcome teams from Cardiff Metropolitan University, Exeter University, Cardiff University, London Metropolitan University, and, in the Final at the Royal Courts of Justice, Warwick University to claim the trophy. They demonstrated huge skills and a magnificent learning arc over the course of the competition.
In other mooting competitions there were more successes with Taylor-May Price reaching the National Finals of the Advocate of the Year Competition, and Honee Crocker reaching the Final of the Wales Mooting Competition alongside Katie Cooper. Finn Meikle and William Wilton, meanwhile, made the Quarter-Finals of the Southampton National Mooting Competition.
In Client Interviewing, Jessica Davies and Eesha Boby recorded a superb 3rd place at the National Client Interviewing Competition, while Jessica was partnered by Soffia Cynwyl representing Wales at the International Client Counselling Competition. The Law School continued our commitment to the skill by hosting the second Anglo-Welsh Client Interviewing Invitational with Oxford Brookes, while also hosting the inaugural Wales Client Interviewing Invitational which was won by our own Soffia Cynwyl an Aimee McCullagh.
In negotiations, the Sports Law Negotiation Competition was cancelled this year but in the CEDR National Competition both the Swansea teams competing qualified for the National Competition- a remarkable achievement considering that three of the students were first years. They performed superbly finishing 7th and 8th overall. There were also superb performances in the Mediate Guru Virtual Negotiations Competition with first years Kasie Tran and Spencer Setterington reaching the Final- and being very sleep deprived in the process with the rounds taking place at 2.30 am and 5.30 am on their local time.
The biggest step forward was in the international mediation competitions. This year we sent teams to three of these and in two of them the teams broke new ground. In the flagship International Chamber of Commerce Mediation Competition in Paris, Keara-Lynn Douglas and Amelia Smith qualified for the Octo-Finals for the first time in Swansea’s history, as well as finishing as the highest ranking team from the UK. Then, in July, Keara-Lynn partnered with Amelia Venghaus to reach the Octo-Finals of the CDRC Vienna Mediation Competition, as well as placing 4th out of 42 teams after the Preliminary Rounds. These were remarkable learning experiences for the students and their success fully deserved.
It has been a remarkable year and the faculty who co-ordinate this programme could not be prouder of our students. We can’t want to kick off the 2026/2027 skills season which will start in late September with the Advanced Mooting Training Day.
A final word can be left to one of the, many, judges who had the chance to see Swansea teams in action this year- “Swansea continues to impress and excel on the international stage!” Long may it remain so!
For anyone interested in learning more about the Swansea Law School Communication Skills Programme, contact Matthew Parry m.j.parry@swansea.ac.uk