Vanessa Lam
2 December 2015: The University of Canberra recently hosted the finals of the Capital Region Mock Trial Competition where college students in the ACT region had the opportunity to test their skills in a mock courtroom.
Held at the University's moot law court, students from Dickson College and Radford College played the roles of barristers, lawyers and witnesses, and competed against each other.
The year 12 students were given a fictitious murder case to research and prepare oral arguments for the mock trial, in which they made opening and closing statements, examined and cross-examined witnesses.
Dickson College was awarded first place and Radford College was highly commended.
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Dickson College students were awarded first place at the Capital Region Mock Trial Competition. Photo: Vanessa Lam
Radford College student Alex Currier enjoyed the competition, as it gave her a chance to put her education into practice.
"This was a real life look at the way you have to apply law into certain parameters and I think that's a really good way to get hands-on experience of what it would be like in real life," the 17-year-old said.
Georgia Crocher from Dickson College said, "What's interesting with these cases is that there are always details that your team will pick up and the other side won't. It really keeps you on your toes."
The students were judged by University staff, while the campus setting gave the students the opportunity to experience what it is like to study law at the University.
"They get a hands-on experience on what learning and practicing law means; helping them decide about the direction to take in their tertiary studies and career," assistant professor of law Dalma Demeter said.
Dickson College student Bailey Dodds said that taking part in the competition has increased his interest in pursuing law in the future.
"It's definitely made me want to do law because the mock trial lets you find out about that area of the law that you can't do in schools because these cases are real world situations, so you learn in so many ways," he said.
This is the ninth year the competition has run at the University and is held in three rounds, with the twelve teams participating in this year's competition coming from nine schools.
