Pate's Hosts CEP Law Moot
In February and March, we hosted two Law Moot sessions for Cheltenham Educational Partnership (CEP) schools’ students, which were very well attended. Aimed at Sixth Form students interested in a career in law, politics or advocacy, the second session was a tournament-style mooting competition.
A moot court competition simulates a court hearing (usually an appeal against a final decision), in which participants analyse a problem, research the relevant law, prepare written submissions, and present oral argument. Moot problems are typically set in areas of law that are unsettled or that have been subject to recent developments. They usually involve two grounds of appeal, argued by each side. Mooting is not the same as public speaking or debating, although it shares some common elements with these activities. It is a specialised application of the art of persuasive advocacy. It has been part of the process of training lawyers for centuries.
The benefits of participating in a law moot include: the opportunity to engage with and think deeply about interesting and topical legal issues; enhance their advocacy, legal research and writing skills; work closely with and learn from their peers; and get experience of how courtrooms work.
The aims of the sessions were for students to learn how to read and understand case law and statutes, identifying key information and applying it to their case; how to write a skeleton argument and prepare for advocacy; the rules of mooting and the environment of a court room; and how to prepare your case, including how to respond to questions from a judge.
With a maximum of 3 teams of up to 4 students per school, nine Pate’s students attended this workshop. Year 12 student Etti, whose A Level subjects span French, History, Maths and Physics shares his Mooting experience,
“I have quite broad A Levels, which reflects the fact that I’m interested in a range of things: Law, but also Finance and Engineering. In terms of next steps, I’m considering PPE or Economics at university, and potentially a law conversion down the line if I decide that’s the direction I want to go, although degree apprenticeships are also very appealing.
The Moot was a great opportunity to explore my options, and I chose to take part specifically to get a closer look at Law as a career. It was arranged in conjunction with other Cheltenham schools, including Balcarras, Cheltenham College, Dean Close, and Chosen Hill, by our fantastic English teacher and former lawyer, Ms Ouellette – a huge thank you to her for putting it together.
I found the whole process, from writing our arguments to presenting them, really enjoyable, and I particularly loved the persuasive element of the speaking; I suspect some of my old teachers would confirm I’ve never been short of an opinion, so that part came fairly naturally! Presenting to real lawyers acting as judges and then receiving professional feedback was a real privilege, and their feedback was much appreciated.
The Moot was fantastic, thank you – I had a great time (testament to Ms Ouellette’s organisation), and I’m pleased to say our team has unanimously agreed we’d love to do it again next year.”
