As in the English Speech Contest 2021, organized by the Lawyers Council Under the Royal Patronage the speech must be delivered in English and all the contestants were to be selected by their law schools to represent their own universities, this competitive challenge thus encouraged my inner self to give it a shot and break free from my comfort zone. Furthermore, to reinforce my language as well as public speaking skills which play an essential role in my future legal profession marked another expectation. The last reason lay in online study during the COVID-19, I think this competition would boost up my energy to stay active and expose my potential to a whole new horizon outside online classes.
Preparation before the competition
The selection process was executed by the Faculty of Law, Thammasat University, comprising two rounds: essay writing and the interview. In the first round, “The Roles of Lawyers in the Conflict Resolution in Thai Society” was the given topic. First off, my writing piece reflected the analysis based on established knowledge and experiences from both the law school and the internship in a law firm. Afterwards, the statistics and information from several researches to support my arguments were then illustrated. Once entering the second round, I carefully reviewed what I had written in the aforementioned essay and explored more issues related to the topic on Google and Youtube. In addition, enough preparation contributed to proper handling of complicated questions during the interview and as a result a qualified representative from Thammasat law school to compete in this speech competition. Before the actual competition, a rehearsal in which Ajarn Lasse and Ajarn Korrasut shed light on areas for improvement, be it the contents and speaking techniques, took place.
What are the key messages of your speech?
As the topic of this speech competition was “The Roles of Lawyers in the Conflict Resolution in Thai Society”, I began by demonstrating the significant responsibility lawyers bear as meddling individuals with legal knowledge and sharpened skills to dissolve real life disputes for those in need. This arises from the fact that the thorough comprehension of laws or the license to do legal practices is exclusive for certain peoples. Then, I illustrated 3 core functions that lawyers could engage in conflict resolution: negotiation, mediation, and litigation. Finally, the speech ended with an emphasis on the cornerstone that the knowledge of law is required for a conflict to be resolved when disputes occur in Thai society. In this aspect, a lawyer, as an expert in the legal profession, has to understand both substantive and procedural laws, as well as the spirit of law itself. Along with essential soft skills, lawyers could effectively be part of conflict resolution and bring justice to the disputing parties and the Thai society as a whole.
What have you gained from the competition?
Being one of Thammasat’s representatives is such a lifetime honor. At first, I was afraid and hesitated to apply, but eventually I felt proud of the path I embarked on. Although I did not win the competition, it is truly a rewarding experience because my English and public speaking skills have been enhanced along the process. I was able to learn and obtain various speaking techniques and styles from the representatives of other universities as well as useful feedback and advice from honorable judges. Besides, this competition inspired me to be a lawyer who would play significant roles in the conflict resolution in Thai society.
Last but not least, I would like to thank the coaches, Ajarn Korrasut and Ajarn Lasse, who have helped me along the way. I am more than grateful for their support, especially in the preparation where I gained a lot of public speaking techniques that could be of importance for any other occasions in the future. I also would like to thank the Lawyers Council Under the Royal Patronage for organizing this speech competition, and the Faculty of Law for supporting this activity.