“If it pleases the court Your Honour, the appeal in this matter should be dismissed and the conviction should stand."
A moot court competition simulates a court hearing, in which participants analyse a problem, research the relevant law, prepare written submissions, and present oral arguments whilst responding to questions from the bench. Mooting is the ultimate in thinking on your feet to represent your client to the best of your ability in accordance with the law and your ethical responsibilities which must be honoured to the court. For the 2025 competition, 17 teams representing 14 schools from Northern New South Wales up to Cairns in the North were called to represent either the Appellant, alleged drug trafficker Jasper, or the Crown.
We congratulate the team of first-time mooters, three Year 10 students who competed in the Griffith University Criminal Law High Schools Mooting Competition this week. QAHS mooters engaged in the complexities of preparing a case for the Crown pertaining to charges in possession and trafficking under the Drugs Misuse Act 1986 (Qld). Drawing upon directions given by the Trial Judge from the Queensland Bench Book, several common case law precedents and legislation, students crafted their compelling submissions.
Well done to our QAHS Griffith University Criminal Law Mooting Team, representing the Crown, placing a respectable 7th in a field of 17 teams.:
Senior Counsel – Hana Truswell
Junior Counsel – Finn Reynolds
Instructing Solicitor – Siena Walker
The beginning of a bright future in legal advocacy should you choose to continue with the QAHS Mooting Program.
This past Tuesday, Finn, Hana and I attended the Griffith Mooting Competition. It was a valuable learning experience for all of us, as we gained a deeper understanding of criminal law procedures and how verdicts are determined. Despite it being our first moot and having no experience, we learnt the importance of putting ourselves forward, with the sole purpose of learning, not winning. Though we did not place in the top 3 schools, we left with a new experience and understanding of law school programs. Furthermore, we got to interact with like-minded students in a program where we listened to evidence from a case and discussed the verdict. This experience showed us a somewhat realistic representation of the work barristers do in court, and helps us decide if this would be something we are interested in, or if we would prefer to study a different area of law. We learnt how to adapt and think on our feet to answer questions about the case we were studying, and how mooting is a great way to form and practice this skill. Law is a fairly versatile subject in terms of acceptance scores, and the degree offers many pathways for different interests and areas of study. Overall, this competition was a worthwhile and beneficial educational experience that we look forward to competing in in the future.
Siena Walker
QAHS Moot Team Instructing Solicitor
Year 10 student
Vanessa Rebgetz
Principal
QAHS Moot Program Coordinator and Coach