Guess what…?
The Open Law Network has an exciting offer for YOU!
Have you just finished your Bar Finals at the Nigerian Law School?
Have you been searching for an avenue to showcase your legal prowess and intellectual sagacity?
Do you want to gain practical experience in client counseling and case management?
Do you have the ability to recognize legal issues and proffer legal remedies?
Do you want to have global insights on access to Criminal Justice?
We know it is a YES and we can hear you scream it!
This is what you have been waiting for!!!
The registration link is here- http://bit.ly/LACCAM_APPLICATION_FORM
Rules of The Client Counseling Competition
Rule 1- Nature and Purpose of the Competition.
LACCCAM Competition (Legal Aid Client Counselling and Case Management Competition) 2021 is a virtual legal aid competition for Bar Aspirants (who are awaiting their Law School results).
The purpose of the competition is to introduce participants to the challenges in criminal justice and the potential of technology to scale the provision of legal aid to indigents. The competition aims to promote greater knowledge young lawyers and bar aspirants in case management, client interview, case planning, and analytical skills.
The competition is entirely virtual and simulates a law office consultation in which participants, acting as lawyers, are presented with a matter. They conduct an interview with a person playing the role of the client. This includes eliciting facts, advising about the relevant law, providing options for proceeding, and assisting the client to make an informed choice. Following the interview, the team members are expected to prepare a legal opinion based on the information elicited from the interview.
The Case Management aspect of the competition entails the participants going beyond the interview and the team’s post-interview consultation, to take further steps to ensure that the case is properly managed using relevant tools.
2. ADMINISTRATION
Open Law Innovation Network (a registered nonprofit), is administering the competition.
RULE 3. REGISTRATION AND ELIGIBILITY
A. Eligibility
Participation in the LACCCAM Competition is limited to law students that have just recently completed their bar finals.
Where there is any doubt as to the eligibility of a participant, such participant may be required to provide supporting document(s) to prove his or her status.
RULE 4. COMPETITION TEAMS
Participation in the competition is limited only to teams of two. An intending participant is advised to select a teammate prior to registration. After selecting a teammate, each member of the team must register individually.
Where a participant is unable to get a teammate prior to registration, such participant may still sign up and will be assigned to another free participant. In such a situation, the assignment will be final, except where a member of the team pulls out before the competition.
B. Registration Form
Each intending participant must sign up individually by completing the online registration form. Even where participants have formed a team, each member of the team must sign up separately to participate in the competition. The registration form is available here- http://bit.ly/LACCAM_APPLICATION_FORM
Applicants shall provide truthful information when signing up. Submission of false information shall stand as a ground for disqualification of an applicant.
(A) Nature of the Competition. The virtual Competition simulates a law office consultation in which two participants, acting as lawyers, are presented with a client matter. They are given thirty minutes to interview the client that has brought the matter. All matters will relate to criminal law and the client will either be a defendant/suspect/defendant, or a victim. It’s also possible the Client may also be the family member of a victim.
Based on the issues that the Client has presented, the team will have to prepare a legal opinion on what steps they will take in that matter, to assist the client.
Participants are expected to elicit relevant information from the client during the interview, including the preferred outcome of the Client.
In the legal opinion, participants are expected to outline the nature of the problem, and present the client with a means (or range of alternatives, if appropriate) for resolving the problem.
A team has not more than three hours from the end of the interview session, to submit the legal opinion to the judges.
The interview session and legal opinion writing will be assessed by a panel of judges, composed of three lawyers/criminal justice experts.
The participants will be evaluated against specific criteria that emphasize the use of listening, questioning, planning, and analytical skills in a lawyer/client interview. Judges may or may not provide a critique of the team’s handling of the consultation periods.
RULE 5. THE CONSULTATION SITUATIONS; COMPETITION TOPIC; APPLICABLE LAW; FEES; TEAM LETTERS; ROUNDS; PREPARATION; AND DRESS.
(a) Distribution of the Consultation Situations. Where a team’s application has been finalized, the Competition organizer will send to each team the memoranda briefly describing the consultation situations for the Competition. These memoranda will contain information similar to that which a law office secretary might record when informing lawyers of a forthcoming appointment.
(b) Competition Topic. The competition shall focus on LEGAL AID FOR INDIGENTS, IN CRIMINAL MATTERS. All consultation situations will be based on this topic. Each consultation situation, however, will involve a different client and a different situation.
(c ) Applicable Law. The law to be applied in the Competition is the law of Nigeria (where there is a dispute as to the local law, recourse should be made to the Law of Lagos State).
(d) Fees. Participants are not expected to discuss fees with the clients.
(f) Rounds. There will be a preliminary round and a final round. During the preliminary round, each team will interview one client and prepare a legal opinion based on the interview.
All teams participate in the preliminary rounds. Three teams will proceed to the final round which would only involve a Client interview stage and post-consultation stage.
(g) Dress. Participants are expected to dress as they would in a real life Client Counselling situation.
© The Post-Consultation round will only take place during the final stage of the competition. During this post-consultation which will take place during the final round, the participants may either talk to each other loudly enough to be overheard by the judges or dictate a file memorandum on the interview, or both. The post-consultation performance may summarize the interview, indicate the scope of the legal work to be undertaken, and state the legal issues that should be researched. Explanation of the position or attitude taken by the participants may be useful.
(e) Use of Materials and Props. During the consultation and post-consultation, the team may use books, notes, and other materials. The team may also use office props (computers, Dictaphones, files, desktop furnishings, etc.).
Interested participants may register here.
