Students secure third place at International Negotiation Competition

Two Cardiff School of Law and Politics students represented Wales on the international stage this summer, securing third place at the 2026 International Negotiation Competition (INC) in Canada.

Molly Povey, a final-year Law with Professional Placement Year (LLB) student, and Charlotte Perry, a second-year Law (LLB) student, earned their place at the prestigious international event after finishing second in the England and Wales Negotiation Competition national final earlier this year.

Hosted by Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the INC brings together law students from around the world to represent clients in a series of complex negotiations. Teams are assessed by expert panels made up of lawyers, business professionals and leading legal academics.

During the competition, Molly and Charlotte took part in four negotiations, tackling scenarios involving talent agency partnerships, stadium naming rights, influencer ambassador agreements and comeback concert deals. The exercises challenged competitors to build new relationships, create value, and carefully balance reputational and financial considerations.

Alongside the competition, the week offered opportunities for networking, cultural exchange and sightseeing, allowing participants to connect with future legal professionals from across the globe.

Reflecting on the experience, Molly said:

“One of our favourite parts was being surrounded by so many like-minded and ambitious people from around the world. Everyone was at a different stage of their journey towards becoming a lawyer, so hearing about their experiences, legal education and future plans was really interesting.”

The pair said the competition strengthened their communication, adaptability and organisational skills. One of the biggest lessons, they explained, was learning to tailor their communication style to different people and situations.

“We realised that we have a tendency to soften what we are saying, over-explain and be very polite. At one point, we were actually told in our feedback that we needed to stop apologising so much! Learning when to be more direct while still maintaining a positive relationship with the other side was really valuable.”

Both students would encourage others to take part.

“Charlotte and I would both say that this was one of the highlights of our law degrees,” said Molly. “It requires a lot of commitment, but the experience you gain makes the hard work worthwhile. We are incredibly grateful to Cardiff School of Law and Politics for giving us the opportunity to compete internationally.”

Talking about negotiation skills, Molly explained: “Negotiation puts you under pressure and teaches you to remain calm when something happens that you could not have predicted. You can prepare extensively, but the other side can always say something completely unexpected and suddenly you have to reconsider your strategy. That experience develops resilience and adaptability in a way that is difficult to replicate in a classroom.”

Molly described the result of them coming third place out of 22 teams as “an amazing bonus,” while Charlotte summed up the trip saying: “The competition was demanding, but seeing all our preparation come together made it so rewarding. I’d do the whole thing again in a heartbeat.”

Huge congratulations to Molly and Charlotte for taking part!