Coutts Lawyers & Conveyancers recently hosted the best and brightest legal studies students from across the Macarthur Region at their Narellan Office for a Mock Trial competition.
Students from Oran Park Anglican College, Elizabeth Macarthur High School, St Patricks College for Girls Campbelltown, Broughton Anglican School and St Benedict’s Catholic College put their legal skills to the test in a series of appearances before the Coutts Judge.
The case centred around defamation via a Facebook post, a topic that is highly relevant to high school aged students, and teams were assigned to either the prosecution or defence, depending on rounds of case presentations.
Brooklyn Evans, Injury Compensation and Family Law Graduate at Coutts and Judge of the Mock Trial Competition, stated “The calibre of students in this Mock Trial was high, with clearly constructed arguments and a clear interest in legal proceedings and the law itself. That bodes well for the future of legal talent in the Macarthur Region, and I’m excited to watch these students progress and move into practising law.”
Round 1 was contested between Oran Park Anglican College and St Patricks College for Girls Campbelltown, with Oran Park being the winner in this instance. Round 2 was contested between St Benedict’s Catholic College and Broughton Anglican College, with Broughton being the winner. Round 3 saw Elizabeth Macarthur contest against St Benedict’s Catholic College, and with the win Elizabeth Macarthur won the Golden Ticket through to the final. Round 4 had Broughton versing Oran Park Anglican Collage, with Oran Park narrowly winning and heading through to the final.
Ultimately the students from Oran Park and Elizabeth Macarthur contested over the final for the competition, with Oran Park acting as the Prosecution and Elizabeth Macarthur acting as the Defence. After an undefeated run into the final, it was fantastic to see Oran Park as the winning school on the day. The winning team consisted of Lara Faddy, Joshua Davison and MJ Espinoza. The team’s arguments continuously evolved across the day, and they demonstrated a willingness to change tact if they believed that they would be better able to challenge the Defence. The skills demonstrated in this Mock Trial are key to practicing the law successfully in NSW and demonstrate that the future looks bright for these students, should they pursue a career in the law.
Karena Nicholls, Partner and Head of Injury Compensation and Employment Law at Coutts, expressed her passion for providing pathways for students in law – “Coutts Lawyers and Conveyancers are always asking ourselves ‘How can we give back’ and events like Mock Trial are key to developing legal talent in Macarthur, providing students with real-world experience and allows us to contribute to the growing pool of legal professionals in Macarthur. We relish in the opportunity to host these students and perform a part in educating them about the process of the law.”
Complete Team Lists and Names are below:
WINNERS – Oran Park Anglican College
Lara Faddy
Joshua Davison
MJ Espinoza
Supported by Kelly Vidovic, Senior School HSIE Teacher
Elizabeth Macarthur High School
Samridh Saxena
Samridhi Humagain
Jeevika
St Patricks College for Girls Campbelltown
Navya Sawal
Veronica Miachina
Zara-Jane Anas
Supported by Matthew White, HSIE Subject Coordinator
St Benedicts Catholic College
Phoebe Osborne
Riley Wickham
Rhianna Versola
Supported by Gareth Reavell, Senior School Teacher.
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Coutts Lawyers & Conveyancers is a full service, award-winning law firm with a core value system that puts you first. With a reputation as the leading law firm in South West Sydney and the Illawarra, Coutts are dedicated to providing Care, Communication and Clarity to the community. With offices in Camden, Campbelltown, Tahmoor, Wollongong, Sydney CBD, Parramatta and Newcastle, and now Picton, there’s a convenient Coutts Office near you.
