Ellis Jones’ 2025 Commercial Negotiation Competition
For the third year running, we had the pleasure of teaming up with Bournemouth University for an exciting negotiation challenge, giving students the chance to showcase their legal and commercial skills in a competitive, real-life setting
Conor Maher and Matt Rushent hosted a dynamic seminar on negotiation, arming students with essential strategies and techniques to help them prepare. The first round of the competition then took place at Bournemouth University, where teams went head-to-head in a series of fast-paced negotiations. Conor Maher, Matt Rushent and I had the tough job of deciding who would make it through to the final, and all participants received valuable feedback to help them develop their skills further.
The competition culminated in a high-stakes final at our head office, where the finalists tackled a challenging shareholder dispute between business partners with competing interests and plans for the future. Their negotiation skills were put to the test in front of a judging panel made up of Nigel Smith, Kate Brooks, Conor Maher—and the pressure was on!
After an intense final round, Dimitar Bogdanov was named the overall winner, securing the top spot with an impressive performance. Lucas Gois, Ben Carling, and Tanya Bellows also put in fantastic efforts and finished as runners-up.
The standard this year was fantastic, with students thinking on their feet, adapting their strategies, and making strong, persuasive arguments. A huge congratulations to everyone who took part—we can’t wait to see where your legal careers take you!
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