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The art of mooting

Last week, Sophia, Zara and Annie (Year 11) headed up to Bond University in Queensland to take part in the Faculty of Law’s annual mooting competition.

Moot courts have been around since the late 1700s, and win or lose, they offer great networking and learning opportunities. Each year, the Faculty of Law at Bond University hosts a two-week mooting competition, with students playing the role of counsel and instructing solicitor in a mock legal hearing, preparing and arguing cases in front of a judge. It’s very different to a mock trial, with the students competing against teams from different schools as if appearing before an actual court. At the end, the judge gives a short ruling and decides which team was the best mooters.

The moot court mirrors the processes of an actual court, with formal language, etiquette and modes of address. Everyone stands up when the judge comes in, the mooters and the judge bow to each other and a clerk announces the matter, before battle commences.

Before the day began, Sophia, Zara and Annie were given a legal problem and told which side they were to speak for. They then had to go away and prepare their case, looking up any relevant areas of law and key cases to help prepare their argument. The students had to be convincing public speakers, but they also had to be alert and able to engage spontaneously with the bench as the judge can ask questions at any time during the trial. Oh and they also made sure that they never, ever spoke while the judge was talking!

Legal Studies Teacher Ms Isbel was delighted with their preparation and performance. “The girls performed really well. Sophia was senior counsel, Zara was junior counsel and Annie was instructing solicitor. They spoke exceptionally well and had sound legal arguments.”

Zara said, “Mooting was an immensely valuable experience. I thoroughly enjoyed the intellectual challenges associated with legal reasoning, oratory and analytical skills. Although the trial itself was at times rigorous, we all improved and retained invaluable skills that we will certainly be able to apply to our future schooling endeavours, whether it be Legal Studies or Debating and Public Speaking-related events. I would like to thank Ms Isbel for her organisation and crucial support throughout the entire process.”

Sophia said, “I’m very grateful to have been part of this experience. Preparing for the moot was enjoyable and interesting, and the moot itself was intellectually challenging. I have improved my public speaking and analytical skills immensely and have been able to apply these skills to all areas of my education. I’m most grateful to Ms Isbel for all her help and support.”