Congratulations to SUSS School of Law (SLAW) students, Felicia Leong and Hansel Chua for their outstanding debut performance on the world stage at the International Negotiation Competition (INC) 2023!
Team SUSS School of Law with School of Law faculty, students, and alumni after their victory at the INC2023 National Rounds
Their journey to Rome, where the world’s oldest and most important negotiation competition took place this year, began at home. Team SUSS School of Law fended off fierce competitors from the NUS Faculty of Law and SMU Yong Pung How School of Law to emerge victorious during the national rounds of INC 2023. The team then proceeded to make history in Rome, Italy, by placing 6th out of 20 international law school teams from top universities across the globe. As Singapore’s national representative team, Team SUSS left an indelible mark on the international stage.
This enriching experience is best summed up by Felicia and Hansel who shared how this competition has transformed their perspective on the art of negotiation as well as its impact on them personally and professionally.
Felicia Leong, a Year 3 student from SUSS' Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree programme said, “The competition presented me with a unique opportunity to grow and enhance my negotiation skills, while also exposing me to diverse cultures and perspectives on a global scale. I learnt that successful negotiations involve active listening and asking insightful questions. This insight has transformed the way I approach negotiations, to better understand the underlying interests of parties involved. It also ignited a desire within me to continuously refine my skills and expand my knowledge to become a better and more effective negotiator. I am grateful for this experience and will always cherish the memories and lessons gained from this remarkable experience. The journey was arduous but significantly rewarding and this achievement would not have been possible without the unwavering support and guidance from our coaches, teammates, seniors and friends. Their contributions were invaluable, and I am deeply grateful for their presence throughout the entire experience.”
Hansel Chua, a Year 3 Bachelor of Law student also mentioned that “This entire INC journey has truly been a highlight in my time in law school. Being able to represent SUSS and Singapore in the international INC rounds was an exhilarating experience, as we had the chance to negotiate with teams from vastly different backgrounds and cultures, which really opened my eyes to different styles of communication and reasoning. The opportunity to make friends with students from all over the world, as well as explore Rome in our downtime really convinced me that the international experience is something which is truly invaluable. Most importantly, I learnt that to be an effective negotiator, being assertive over your client’s interests has to be tempered by active listening and clarification to the other parties. This is something that I will definitely be applying to my future career as well as remaining time in law school. Ranking 6th amongst 20 international teams was something that we could not have done without the help of our teammates, coaches, friends, and family who lent us valuable support and guidance along the way!”
Team SUSS School of Law with the team from Wales in Rome for the international rounds of INC 2023.