20 July 2007

NUS law undergrad achieves a first for Singapore

LEGAL EAGLES: Vanathi S (left), winner of the Witness Examination Competition, together with fellow finalist Scott Leith from the University of Auckland.

NUS law undergraduate Vanathi S is the first Singaporean to win the Witness Examination Competition at the 29th Annual Australian Law Students' Association (ALSA) Conference.

The ALSA Competitions Championship held during the week-long conference, comprising Mooting, Witness Examination, Paper Presentation, Client Interviewing and Negotiation competitions, is considered to be the most prestigious legal competition in Australasia.

Vanathi beat 24 other law students from Australia and New Zealand to emerge the winner after six grueling rounds of competition over five days. In a courtroom drama, she competed against a law student from University of Auckland at the Grand Finals held in the Federal Court of Australia. “The lights that read ‘Court in Session' were switched on… There was a sense of anticipation and a buzz that filled the courtroom and I knew then that I had to meet up to their expectations,” she said.

To prepare for the rigours of the competition, Vanathi underwent training by litigators at Drew & Napier, and Asst Prof Lim Lei Theng, Deputy Director, Faculty of Law's Legal Skills Programme. Interestingly, Asst Prof Lim competed in same competition in 1990 when she was an undergraduate at the Faculty of Law.

Vanathi was also the winner of the NUS Advocacy Cup, a highly regarded competition that allows students to showcase their cross-examination skills