Elizabeth College clinches title in Collas Crill’s annual Moot

Forty-six students from four of the island’s sixth form schools and colleges took part in the competition in which pairs of students are placed in a mock courtroom trial situation, dealing with fictional scenarios and judged at each round by lawyers from Collas Crill. The teams were coached by a selection of Collas Crill paralegals and trainees including Ben Newton, Paige Williams, Kayleigh Oliver, Jazzmin Le Prevost, Theo Hannah, Jess Burgess and Charlie Brewin.

Having battled their way through the initial rounds, Matthew Stewart and Oliver Connolly from Elizabeth College and Lydia Datta and Maisy Nicholls from The Ladies’ College met in the final, which was held at Collas Crill’s office on 9 December.

A distinguished bench of Collas Crill partners was assembled to dispense justice including Justices Michael Adkins, Wayne Atkinson and Angela Calnan.

Marked on a number of factors including their court etiquette, persuasiveness, clarity, body language and time-keeping, the students from Elizabeth College narrowly prevailed over the team from The Ladies’ College.

Wayne, a partner in the firm’s corporate, finance and funds practice and an advocate of the Royal Court, said: “Reasoned argument is a skill that’s essential whether you want a career in law, are just trying to convince your boss you deserve a raise or to win an argument with friends.

“The Moot provides a fantastic opportunity for students to improve their communication, presentation, research and analysis, all of which will be invaluable in the next step of their education and their working life. It’s also a lot of fun and a great chance to experience the drama of the courtroom first hand.

“This year’s finalists were a talented bunch and it was a close-run race. Both teams had prepared well, presenting their cases around a fictional road traffic accident with flair and ingenuity, but Matthew and Oliver secured the title narrowly edging out Maisie Nicolls and Lydia Datta.”