The client interviewing competition has been in continuous existence in the UK since 1983. Modelled on the client counselling competition administered by the American Bar Association, it participates in the International Client Counselling Competition in which teams from 14 countries take part. After 16 years of competing in the international competition, the team that won the England and Wales national competition has for the first time gone on to win outright the international competition.

It is distressing that the Gazette cannot acknowledge this as a genuine and important achievement, reflecting great credit on two law students from Cardiff University. The sarcastic comments in Obiter (see [2005] Gazette, 5 May, 10) illustrate a singular lack of understanding of legal skills training. The competition is sponsored by the Law Society, and is greatly valued by law students and law academics as an enjoyable and challenging way of introducing students to the practicalities of the interaction between lawyer and client. Legal practitioners across the country give up their time to judge regional and national competitions as well as competitions held within individual law schools.


Geoffrey Bindman, solicitor, president of the client interviewing competition, London, and Graham Robson, solicitor, chairman of the client interviewing competition and head of department of professional legal studies, University of Westminster, London