Pair to negotiate a tough challenge

James Clark and Ben Keatinge both 22, are both studying at The College of Law in York and took the national title in a competition held at Manchester Metropolitan University.

The contest is open to both undergraduate and postgraduate contestants from law schools across the country and contestants have to negotiate on behalf of fictional clients. In the Manchester contest, a series of scenarios were created on fictional problems surrounding the Olympic Games.

In Belfast the pair will face opposition from around the globe, with other contenders travelling in from countries including India, Singapore and Canada.

Mr Keatinge said: “It will be challenging to compete against people from so many different cultures since this is not something we have done before.

“They will be strong negoiators and may approach issues in unexpected ways. We know there are several areas in which we can improve our performance,” he said.

The contest is sponsored by the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution.