The Law Society of Western Australia – Mock Trial Competition 2021
What an experience!
For the past four months the students pictured outside the Supreme Court of Western Australia have been participating in simulated court cases in which teams contest a fictitious legal matter presented in the Western Australia court system. The cases are presented by two teams – a prosecution/plaintiff team and a defence/defendant team – made up of students playing the roles of barristers, solicitors, witnesses and court officials. Each individual is scored based on their performance in the trial. The team with the most points wins the trial.
Our Results:
Wednesday 10 March 2021
Round 1: Acting as the Defence in a Criminal matter- State of Western Australia versus Cardorna
JFSC Legal Eagles won the case, but missed out by 2 points to win the trial against Duncraig Senior High School.
Thursday 6 May 2021
Round 2: Acting for the Plaintiff in a Civil Case- Tailor versus Rizeski
JFSC Legal Eagles won the both the case and the points against Mount Lawley Senior High School
Tuesday 22 June 2021
Round 3: Acting for the State in a Criminal Case- State of Western Australia versus Gatsby
JFSC Legal did not win the case, but we won the points against Rossmoyne High School.
This is the first time John Forrest Secondary College has participated in this competition. Through the Law Society we were able to access a professional lawyer to coach the students in the specifics of litigation. Much lunchtime and after school preparation has taken place. This has been such positive learning experience for the students and the personal growth the students have achieved has been a delight to witness. This experience enabled students to think for themselves, ask questions, explain what they think or turn ideas into actions. I would like to say a big thank you Kiri-Lee George from myself and the students for volunteering her time and professional wisdom, it has been much appreciated.
Testimonials from the students:
The conduct of the trial was done in and orderly fashion an the atmosphere around the court room gave the feeling/idea of how trials are conducted in the Supreme Court. Overall it was a fun and enjoyable experience for all and I can't wait for our upcoming rounds!
Personally, I think signing up for this program was one of the best decisions I've ever made at John Forrest. You don't even need to be necessarily interested in law to join, you could simply join with the intention of improving yourself as a person. This program provides you with vital life skills that your future self would greatly appreciate. Life skills such as critical thinking, decision making, time management, and self awareness. This program has helped my confidence and the way I see myself dramatically over the past 5 months or so. It just goes to show how important it is to step out of your comfort zone in order to grow as a person because honestly, if I never took up this opportunity, I would still be that anxiety stricken student that would constantly run away from public speaking all together. So, if you're that shy kid in class, this program is just for you. Give it a crack, you won't regret it. Do yourself a favour ….
On a professional note, as a Humanities teacher our focus is to impart what makes us human and how we react and respond to circumstances that society can present to us. Humanities allows us to investigate how we lived, but what shapes our thinking and how our actions influence positive changes in our society. Any young people who want to pursue a Law career genuinely make a difference to the world we live in. If this is you, I encourage you to consider studying the humanities.
Catherine Lucas
Humanities and Social Science Teacher
