January 21, 2023

In January Elliott Hudson College students participated in a regional heat of the Bar Mock Trial competition. They were given cases to prepare and present; they had to prepare opening and closing statements, question witnesses and make objections.

Students have been meeting as part of their Wednesday afternoon enrichment, to prepare their cases, practice their questioning skills and prepare to undergo questioning of witnesses. Students also worked with an experienced barrister, Katherine White, to develop their skills and gain advice.

Katherine, who is a barrister at St John’s Buildings Barrister Chambers in Sheffield, told students about the role of a Barrister and gave students the opportunity to ask questions about her profession.

She explained her responsibilities of representing clients in court and in other legal situations, including the importance of thinking on your feet and being persuasive to argue cases for clients. She then gave students valuable advice on how to present arguments, question witnesses, and watched students role play the cases they had prepared.

On Saturday 21^st January, the students took part in the Bar Mock Trial; competing against three other schools and colleges out of the eight attending, at Leeds Beckett University.

The students took on all the roles in the court room; Prosecution Barrister, Judge, Defence Barristers, Defendants, witnesses, clerk, usher, and jurors. Students who were barristers had to prepare questions beforehand to complete the examination of their own witnesses and cross examination of witnesses from the other schools. At the end of the trial a jury deliberated to decide whether the defendant was guilty or not. For each trial, real life barristers had volunteered to grade each school on their performance. All students took part in being jurors for other schools competing in the competition. They listened diligently to all the evidence presented and came to a verdict of Guilty/Not Guilt for each case.

Dillon Chudasama, Year 12, said: “Being a part of the Bar Mock Trial was by far the best choice I could’ve made when it comes to enrichment. It was so fun to be a part of and having the chance to compete against other schools with real barristers was really an experience I’ll never forget. Not being a law student too, I was welcomed into the team and given all the help and more that I needed to do well.”

“Helping run the Bar Mock Trial enrichment alongside Mrs Barley has been a highlight of my teaching career. It has been a pleasure to meet with the students every week and witness their bond as a team grow” said Miss Binns, A Level Law Teacher. “They have not only developed their skills as advocates but their independence, confidence, and resilience. While we didn’t make it through to the national heat, I am unbelievably proud of Team EHC and I cannot wait to carry on providing this opportunity for years to come. I would encourage any student who thinks this might be something they enjoy to get involved next year!”