Elizabeth College is the winner of this year’s Collas Crill Moot.
Sixth formers Jonathan Vickers and Josh Merrien took on Rosalie Van Zutphen and Amelie Smith from the Ladies’ College in a mock trial involving a fictional rescue attempt in the sea at Cobo Bay.
The Moot final took place on Wednesday 8th December in in Court 4 of the Royal Courts of Guernsey and was presided over by a judging panel of Madam Deputy Bailiff, Jessica Roland, along with Collas Crill Managing Partner Christian Hay and Partner Ben Havard.
Official court formalities were followed for the duration of the Moot with the judging panel in full robes and toques, the HM Greffier in attendance and all the usual court etiquette adhered to, which meant that the students experienced the real life drama of a courtroom trial.
The four students all put forward their cases to the judges as counsel for their clients.
The students were marked on a number of factors including their court etiquette, persuasiveness, clarity, body language and time-keeping.
In her closing remarks Madam Deputy Bailiff commented that all four students did an ‘excellent job and were very impressive’ and they all made good, clear arguments with well researched references to previous cases. She highlighted that it was a very close call. However on balance, although they agreed the Ladies’ College did an excellent job, the judging panel agreed that Elizabeth College just had the edge.
Madam Deputy Bailiff also said that she was delighted to be able to open the Court to Jonathan, Josh, Rosalie and Amelie and supported initiatives like the Moot which gives students interested in pursuing a career in law the opportunity to experience a working court room first hand.
Christian Hay, Managing Partner at Collas Crill, said: “The students did a fantastic job and represented their clients in a professional, eloquent and coherent way. The standard throughout this year’s Moot has been exceptionally high and the final was no exception. Collas Crill is committed to supporting lawyers of the future and this initiative, now in its 14th year, is one that the whole firm gets behind from the paralegals and trainee solicitors, who support and coach the students throughout the process, to the partners who act as judges at each stage.”
Jonathan, Josh, Rosalie and Amelie have come through three rounds of the annual competition to reach the hotly contested final.
67 sixth form students from Ladies’ College, Elizabeth College, Blanchelande College and the Grammar School entered this year’s competition. 20 fellow students and staff from Collas Crill dialled in to watch the Moot final virtually.
The Moot involves students studying real-life legal case notes and applying them to a mock court situation. Participants are mentored and coached by Collas Crill paralegals and trainee solicitors throughout the competition and judged by some of the firm’s partners during the mock trials.
Collas Crill Group Partner and Training Principal Michael Morris, who leads the Moot, said: “The final is usually played out in the meeting rooms of Collas Crill with some of the firm’s partners as judges, so to be able to stage it in the grand setting of the old Magistrates Court with Madam Deputy Bailiff Jessica Roland on the judging panel gives the students an even better opportunity to experience the real drama of the courtroom first hand.”
Jonathan and Josh were presented with the Collas Crill Moot shield to take back to Elizabeth College, as well as individual prizes and trophies. Rosalie and Amelie also received gifts from Collas Crill.
