A Moot Point
Anna Ogier talks us through the 2013 Collas Crill Moot
Basic case law, court etiquette, and lawyer jargon were, up until October 2013, practically unknown concepts to the twelve pairs of participants in the Collas Crill Moot Competition 2013. Yet, within two months, we had been transformed into confident orators with competent awareness on such matters.
A 'moot' is a disputed point, and so the point of the competition was for Collas Crill to kindly offer an opportunity to experience the sort of predicaments faced by advocates. Each school (Ladies' College, Elizabeth College, Grammar Sixth Form and the College of Further Education) was given two mentors who, about a week prior to each moot, would help explain the problem, the case law and give tips on constructing a strong argument. Each pair would then be assigned a side to argue (usually Appellant versus Respondent) and then two pairs, without audience, would then present their cases to a Judge who would make both a legal decision on the matter, but also more crucially in this competition, decide who actually argued best – and so have won the Moot. These cases ranged from corporate law to criminal and civil and for the final: contract law.
Ladies' College this year put up a particularly strong side with both teams of finalists being pupils here. Elanor Buchanan and Anna Ogier battled against their learned friends Amelia Ayres and Emily Green in a tense final - complete with three imposing judges with many a difficult question at the ready. Arguments were picked apart as we were forced to think on our feet and defend our views with confidence. Quite an intense experience.
However, looking back at the competition as a whole, I cannot think of a better way for improving public speaking, facilitating understanding of what a strong argument consists of and learning to think laterally about problems. The competition gave us all an insight into basic concepts of law and its crucial impact on otherwise everyday matters. Most importantly, regardless of which career path one may be considering, the Moot improves your confidence and skill in creating and presenting an argument – a skill transferrable to almost anything.
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