The regional heats of the Bar Mock Trial were held at Maidstone Crown Court on Saturday 23rd November.
The competition saw schools from around Kent bring a team of students - including mock barristers, witnesses, ushers, court clerks and jurors - to the court to put a series of fictitious cases to justice, including a sports doping case and an actual bodily harm case.
Giving students a chance to experience what a career in law may be like, the trials asked students to spend time preparing for their roles. For students playing the part of barristers, this included preparing questions for the cross examination and examination in chief. For witnesses, this included getting to know the details of witness statements and learning how to adapt to whatever questions the barristers may ask.
Students were given the chance to both prosecute and defend.
The day ended with a Q&A with the judges who were in charge of scoring the schools, before prizegiving. This Q&A gave students valuable insight into the differences between being a solicitor versus being a barrister, and the amount of experience needed before becoming a judge.
There were also interesting discussions about multilingualism in law, the future of law and AI, and the differences between different types of law.
Rochester Grammar School won first place in the competition. They have now won the regional heat of the Bar Mock Trial for three consecutive years. This win grants them the opportunity to advance to the national finals.
The finals will be held at the Royal Court of Justice, one of the most prestigious courthouses in the country, early next year.
