Late nights, global stage

UNSW Law & Justice has claimed a major milestone, taking first place in the prestigious Transatlantic Negotiation Competition for the first time.

Hosted virtually by Syracuse University College of Law and Queen’s University Belfast, the competition brings together leading law schools from around the world to tackle complex, real-world negotiation scenarios. Covering issues across international business, trade and political disputes, it is widely seen as a strong test of strategy, communication and cross-cultural collaboration.

This year, 24 law schools from five continents competed in a series of high-pressure rounds, judged by experienced legal professionals from across the globe.

UNSW’s team rose to the challenge, navigating a demanding schedule that included rounds at 2am, 3am, 5am and 10am local time before advancing to the grand final where they defeated the University of Houston Law Center to secure the title. 

Rising to the challenge across time zones

Competitor Nathan Choi said the experience pushed the team in every sense, particularly the demanding schedule.

“I would say the unusual competition hours posed the greatest challenge,” Nathan said. “While navigating the complexities of each scenario was difficult, staying focused throughout the rounds, especially the semi-finals and finals held on consecutive mornings, was something new for most of the team.”

Fellow competitor Julia Maikari echoed this, highlighting the role of teamwork and coaching support. 

“Not only was our teamwork critical during the late hours, but our coaches were instrumental,” she said. “They volunteered countless hours to support us and really felt like additional members of the team, especially through the back-to-back semi-final and grand final rounds in the early morning.”

Teammate Ashley Kim reflected on how that sense of team carried them through.

“It was honestly our team that made competing at some fairly questionable hours not only manageable but fun,” she said. “No matter who was competing or how early the round was, the whole team was awake to support each other across all five rounds. Caffeine helped too.”

Ashley also noted the group’s strong trust and shared mindset. 

“We were very fortunate in how easily we trusted, relied on and supported each other,” she said. “Keeping things light, even under pressure, was something we all embraced, and our coaches Audrey and June really set that tone from the beginning.”

The team, which also included Selina Ning, was supported by student coaches Audrey Truong and June Kim, whose guidance played a key role in shaping preparation and performance.

This milestone result reflects the team’s skill, resilience and collaboration, supported by the strength of the Law Society competitions program and the guidance of the Competitions and Skills team.