Fri, 10 Nov 2023
The Isle of Man Courts & Tribunals Service recently held its first mock Court competition over the weekend.
Sixth Form students from all of the Island’s secondary schools were invited to participate in the competition, involving making or opposing mock applications for Court Bail.
Twelve students from Ballakermeen High School, St Ninian’s High School and King William’s College were randomly assigned a role and a case, provided with Court papers in advance of the competition, along with a pre-competition video tutorial on the law.
The students were introduced to Court 3 and given a brief tour, after which they conducted final preparations with guidance from Advocates Sara-Jayne Dodge from Smith Taubitz Unsworth Limited, Emily Johnson from Cains, and Trainee Advocate Mark O’Connor from CallinWild.
The Court proceedings were overseen by three of the Island’s Magistrates, aiming to offer an experience as authentic as possible for the aspiring Advocates. The event concluded with a Q&A and feedback session.
The winner of the competition was Anna Rose Ridgway from Ballakermeen High School.