Law Society Mock Trial Competition

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (15:20): Today, I want to bring the house's attention the Mock Trial Competition which is run annually by the Law Society. At the outset, I would like to acknowledge the work of the mock trial committee who oversee all aspects of the competition every year. I thank them on behalf of everyone who participates. Introduced in 1988, the competition had 36 teams from 32 schools across the state in its inaugural year. The aim is:

… to bring the legal profession into closer communication with teachers and students in Secondary Schools to remove some of the mystique surrounding the law and the legal profession, and to give students a better understanding of how the South Australian Legal System operates.

The teams compete in a round robin competition for three rounds, with the top four teams moving into a semifinal and the winners of each going into the grand final. Each team consists of up to seven students from years 10, 11 and 12. Both state and independent schools are invited to participate and, while dominated by the private schools, Aberfoyle Park, Unley and Marryatville high schools have won in past years.

Participating schools are sent prosecution, plaintiff or defence cases and given two weeks to prepare. They then play each other in front of a Law Society member who volunteers to judge the case. The participants are two barristers, two solicitors and two witnesses per team, plus a court official, and they are scored on their performances and the most points wins; that is, a maximum of five points might be gained for a barrister's cross-examination of the opponent's witness.

The top four teams, on a win-loss ratio and points margins, get to play in the finals. This year, Glenunga International High School was one of the top four and played Pembroke in a semifinal. After winning there, Glenunga went on to the grand final against St Peter's College and managed to win under the different rules that operate in a grand final, which sees no scoring and a Supreme Court judge deciding the outcome.

The winning Glenunga team consisted of barristers Claire Muecke and Tian Ball and solicitors Natalie Jong and Lucinda Kalisch. Witnesses were Sofija Smiljanic and Mollie Verstegen, with Amila Dedovic as the judge's clerk. It was an all-female team, if I am not mistaken, but it was ably assisted by Zac Carter acting as an additional team member during the year. I must declare a conflict of interest, as I have known Tian Ball almost all her life and so share with her parents, Sue and Chris, in congratulating her on her fine achievement.

I have been advised that no public school has won the competition for 15 years and it really does show there are no boundaries to what our kids can do. As for Tian, she had a difficult task trying to call their second barrister to account in his cross-examination of Mollie Verstegen, which went for an interminable 40 minutes. One of the observers told me that, if he had been Tian, he would have just given up, but she kept objecting time after time to defend Mollie. She was just so determined, and her argument of objections all night was first class, as was her poise and presence. She certainly knew that she was up against the Saint's barrister who had won the best barrister award last year, but she just saw that as a challenge she had to overcome.

During the year, Glenunga defeated Norwood Morialta, Cabra Dominican College, Seymour College and narrowly beat Pembroke into the grand final. Saints had much closer results on their way to the finals, making the Glenunga win all the more commendable. Additionally, I believe Saints had an all-male team and, while I am loath to draw any conclusions, I think this year has been a fabulous result for girls and the public education system. Students learn many skills: not only the art of persuasive argument but also trial strategies, such as the art of examination-in-chief, cross-examination, arguing, objections, constructing opening and closing statements, and much more. Thorough preparation and teamwork are essential for success.

Glenunga International High School has been in the competition for the past five years. For the first three years, it was more about fun and everyone having a go at different roles, but last year's team decided to focus on being good at the various roles. They beat some of the big guns along the way to make the 2015 grand final, but they lost to Saints, who are the perennial finalists and have won four of the last eight grand finals. This year, Glenunga International High School was undefeated, which is a credit to the talent and hard work of this great team of students, their teachers, led by Mal Quorn-Smith and their families and supporters. It is another great win for public high schools.