On Wednesday 1st March, a group of year 12 students from Oasis Academy travelled to the University of Kent’s Canterbury campus to observe one of Kent Law School’s Tranche B moots. In a moot, students are assigned to two teams with one representing the Crown and the other the Defendant. The objective of a moot is to win the hypothetical case and gives students an opportunity to practice their public speaking and argument making skills. This visit allowed students to experience a moot in a legal environment and prepared them for their second visit where they would undertake mooting themselves.
This week, the students returned to the Wigoder Law Building to participate in a mooting workshop led by Moots Coordinator Alex Acaster and Law student Sanchia Thompson. This involved an introduction to mooting and interesting tips on how to moot successfully. The group were then split into two teams and were presented with a Bail Application. They were asked to derive relevant information from the case which would support their points as either the Prosecution or the Defendant. After 30 minutes of preparation, the teams had to present their arguments to the judges (Alex and Sanchia) as to whether bail should or should not be granted.
The students performed extremely well and afterwards received helpful feedback from the judges on their quality of research and body language. Feedback suggests that the students seemed to really benefit from the experience as many were considering studying law at university and embarking on a career in the legal profession.
For more information about this activity, please contact outreach@kent.ac.uk