By Mrs Cherie Russell

On Monday 2 August our Year 12 Mock Trial team arrived at the Supreme Court of Western Australia for the first of the finals rounds of this prestigious competition. They were quite happy and relaxed, but I noted they were all very focused. They had needed minimal assistance for this one, and we reflected on how this was the tenth time they had appeared as a team in the Supreme Court since joining the competition as Year 10s. The trial was a theft case – Carmel the defence team against PLC as prosecution.

The standard of courtroom conduct and legal argument was again a step up from what I’ve seen before. PLC was polished and had achieved a much higher ranking than Carmel in the final 16, but Carmel was equal to the challenge. After some confronting cross examination and tough questions on evidence from the judge, the result revealed Carmel as winners – both of the legal case (not guilty) and of the competition.

It was a well-deserved victory. Our legal eagles are really good! So now only eight teams in the state remain and it is on to the quarter finals.