The Team for the 2018 Intercollegiate Negotiation Competition (INC) has been selected!

Team Australia was successful once again in 2017, winning the Prize for Best Performance in the English-language Arbitration round and the second place in the overall INC Competition in Tokyo.

A selection of students from Australian universities will form Team Australia and participate in the Intercollegiate Negotiation (and Arbitration) Competition in Tokyo in 2018. [Team Australia is supported by the Australian Network for Japanese Law (ANJEL) since 2005.

The Intercollegiate Negotiation Competition uses an international commercial transaction problem that is adjudicated through:

(a) an arbitration moot using the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules and the UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts, and

(b) a mock negotiation regarding a cross-border joint venture. Both parts of the competition are based on written submissions and an oral argument.

Team members gain experience in international commercial law and cross-cultural negotiation skills. Experience in negotiation or mooting (especially in contract) is advantageous, but not essential. Moot teams (including Team Australia) compete in either the English or the Japanese language divisions of the competition, or both. Team Australia is made up of 1-3 sub-teams of 4-5 students who are currently enrolled at an Australian university. We won both the competition and the prize for best negotiation in 2016.

Eligibility

Undergraduate, Masters and doctoral students in law or other disciplines at any Australian university. The competition favours mid-degree or final-year LLB or JD students or LLM students. Students who have previously been part of Team Australia are eligible to reapply in 2018.

Selection

Applications are assessed by interview, with reference to:

1. Academic record;
2. Evidence of mooting or negotiation competition experience;
3. Evidence of teamwork skills; and
4. Demonstrated language proficiency in Japanese (for the Japanese language sub-team).

Regardless of the number of students selected, Team Australia competes as a single institution in this competition, i.e. the sub-teams are made up of members from different universities and the teams collaborate and support each other as Team Australia.

Japanese language/Japanese law knowledge

No Japanese language is required for the English language division. However, a high degree of proficiency in Japanese is required for the Japanese language division. Therefore, students with developing levels of Japanese are encouraged to apply for the English language division team in the first instance.

Key dates 2018

• Problem announced: October 2018
• Written memoranda: October-November 2018
• Oral arguments: 1-2 December 2018 in Tokyo
  (travel to Tokyo around 27 November, for final preparations)

In 2018, teamwork for this competition, including written submissions and the oral argument in Tokyo, takes place during the exam period for most universities in Australia.

NB: If the competition preparation clashes with an exam, there is no guarantee that your institution will consent to changing the date of a year-end exam to accommodate this competition, although we will apply to do so on your behalf and most have accommodated such requests in the past. So we encourage applications from students with reduced loads or no final year exams pending; students on exchange or Study Abroad programs where the host institution exam periods do not clash with the competition dates and Masters or doctoral students.

Time commitment

This is a demanding activity. Accepting an offer to join Team Australia means promising to give priority to this commitment over other engagements such as internships and summer jobs. You will need to make time for:

1. At least two team meetings in a nominated city (usually Canberra) between April – November 2018;
2. Intensive time commitment during drafting periods;
3. At least weekly or bi-weekly oral practice sessions through the last month before the competition (with adjustments for assessment requirements at team members’ home universities); and
4. Team coordination via platforms such as Slack and Zoom.

Costs and Funding support

Students selected to join Team Australia may be eligible for Australian Government New Colombo Plan (NCP) scholarships for this project. An NCP stipend of $3000 per person is ample to cover return economy airfares to Tokyo, accommodation, meals, and ground transport.

Students who are not eligible for NPC funding may receive a participation subsidy but will be required to cover some costs themselves.

Coursework credit

To be eligible for NCP funding, students must be enrolled in a course for credit for which the INC competition is an appropriate academic enhancement.

At the ANU those courses would include LAWS 4266 International Arbitration and Negotiation Moot Competition in Japan or an advanced Japanese language course. [At the University of Sydney this would include LAWS 3489 or 5360 International Moot, LAWS 5189 Independent Research Project or various other advanced elective courses.]

Students at other universities are able to enrol in the ANU LAWS course for cross-credit. We will liaise with the relevant academic and professional staff at your university to help you set up or confirm those arrangements. Please flag this when you make your application.

Coaching

The Lead Coach in 2018 is Professor Veronica Taylor (School of Regulation and Global Governance, ANU | Veronica.Taylor@anu.edu.au) She will work with a number of Team Australia alumni and legal practitioners in Australia and Japan to help you prepare for the competition. The academic advisor for U Sydney students is Prof Luke Nottage (ANJeL Co-director).

Applications for the 2018 INC round opened on 1 March 2018 and closed on 2 April 2018.

What should be included in the application:

• A one-page cover letter outlining briefly why you are interested in the competition, any past experience in negotiation or mooting competitions, and your level of exposure to, or interest in Japan;
• Your CV;
• A copy of your academic transcript and
• Any further evidence of Japanese language proficiency (for those competing in the Japanese language team).

Please find further information on 2018 Applications on INC - Team Australia website.

Selection Interviews

Interviews for short-listed candidates were scheduled between April-May 2018, with results announced by the end of May 2018.

Contact for applications: Project Officer, Helena Alves Woods T: 02 6125 0915

Contact for questions: Professor Veronica Taylor M: 0431 665 374