Durham International Law Society Holds Successful National Commercial Awareness Competition Attracting over 400 Participants from 14 Universities
After six months of planning, the student run Durham International Law Society (DILS) Commercial Awareness Competition 2025/26 successfully took place on 16 January 2026, bringing together students from across the UK to engage with real-world commercial legal challenges.
Originally launched as a Durham-based initiative in 2024 by Swasti Mehta, the Society’s then Vice President and current President, the competition has since grown into a national event, attracting over 400 participants from 14 universities in 2025-26.
This year’s successful competition would not have been possible without the generous support of the Society’s partners: Preiskel & Co LLP, Broadfield UK, Stephenson Harwood LLP, Charles Russell Speechlys, and Watson’s Daily. Thanks to their involvement, participants competed for outstanding opportunities including a vacation scheme, internship, open day place, book vouchers, and more.
In a closely fought final, the team from UCL emerged as winners with the Durham University team finishing as runners-up. Congratulations go to all finalists; placing in the top 18 out of over 400 participants in such a competitive field is a remarkable achievement.
Reflecting on the competition, Society President, Swasti Mehta, commented:
We would like to thank everyone who participated in the competition, our partners in the competition, Preiskel & Co LLP, Broadfield UK, Stephenson Harwood LLP, Charles Russell Speechlys, and Watson’s Daily, and the final-round judges —Peter Watson , Dr Clara Martins Pereira , Naomi Nettleton, , Simon Painter and James Hanley — for sharing their expertise and helping make the final round such a rewarding experience for the finalists.
We would also like to thank Durham Law School and Professor in Practice Philip Bennett for their support for the competition and for helping the Society to host the final in Durham.”
Peter Watson, CEO of Watson’s Daily, added:
“I was privileged to be a judge in the Commercial Awareness Competition and was extremely impressed with both the standard of the finalists and the organisation of the whole event. I know how difficult it is to present in front of so many people with so much at stake, and so I think that the participants did an excellent job at keeping calm under pressure. As AI changes the jobs we do and how we do them, skills honed in this competition will become even more valuable.”
Durham Law School Professor in Practice, Philip Bennett, commented:
“ This event is another excellent example of the successes that can flow from the collaboration between the Law related student societies, Durham students and Durham Law School to develop the employability skills of our students. We are pleased to have been able to support this outstanding initiative which complements the Law School’s unique Employability Course.”
Society Treasurer, Ali Yetkin, added:
“On behalf of Swasti and myself we would like to add a particular thank you to the the Society’s Commercial Awareness Competition team for their dedication and hard work throughout the year: Yilan Wang, Ali Yetkin, Zara Jeffri, Shivangi Pandey, Arunangshu Barai, Sidharth Sharma, Shivam Bhardwaj, Pulak Katyayan, Freia Lara Bakhda, Sudha Aggarwal, Sonakshikaa S., and Arindam Mehra. We are also grateful to Chiara Schuster and Vedika C. Das for capturing the event so beautifully in their photos.”
Photos from the event can be viewed here: https://www.instagram.com/internationallawsocdu/
The Durham Law School community is proud to support initiatives that promote commercial awareness, collaboration, and professional development among aspiring lawyers, and we look forward to building on this success in the years to come.
Notes:
More about Durham Law School is here
More about the Durham International Law Society is https://www.instagram.com/internationallawsocdu/
More about the Law School’s Employability Course is here