Featuring a kidnapping, illegal drugs and questionable lifestyle behaviour, the fictional cases brought before the court during the 4th Hong Kong Inter-School Mock Trial Championship 2017 included all the elements of a fast-paced television courtroom drama, with plenty of tense moments and a few unexpected twists and turns.
Over 200 students from 24 Hong Kong local and international schools argued their cases in front of 120 judges drawn from the Hong Kong legal community and legal professionals flown in from Australia, the US and the UK. The purpose-built courtroom at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), allowed the cases to be conducted in a realistic environment.
"The exchange of questions and answers requires you to analyse and respond to different perspectives very quickly," said Eunice Chong, a member of the winning Diocesan Girls' School (DGS) team. Unlike in debate where a speaker takes a "for or against" position, mock trials require teamwork and a lot of collaboration. "You have to think on the spot and come up with a counter argument when the other team's barrister raises an objection that you have not considered," Chong added.
Each team was required to follow strict legal procedures and standards, and each team needed to thoroughly study the case notes related laws in order to prepare. In addition, they wrote scripts for questioning witnesses, prepared opening and closing statements and presented evidence in order to prove their case.
Both the prosecution and defense teams worked with a coach and legal mentor to prepare their cases. Afterwards, students took on the roles of barristers, solicitors and witnesses. “It was quite nerve-racking presenting a case in front of a real judge, but we put in a lot of preparation so we were confident that we sounded professional and believable” said Nicol Tsang, also a member of the DGS team.
Practicing criminal law barrister and DGS alumni Sabrina Leung helped coach her alma mater’s team to victory. She was impressed with how quickly the students were able to pick up the intricacies of the law. "I played a role in helping them build credible arguments, and remaining calm in the face of adversity," she said.
