Tomorrow’s Lawyers Battle in the Bar Mock Trials

Students from the ‘Tomorrow’s Lawyers’ programme at Cronton Sixth Form College had the opportunity to take part in the regional heats of the Citizenship Foundation’s Bar Mock Trial Competition, held at Liverpool Crown Court.
The exciting annual competition sees students taking on the role of a barrister or witness and presenting a case while competing against teams from 11 other colleges and schools. The performances are then judged by real Circuit Judges, Recorders and senior barristers.

The students dedicated many weeks to prepare two criminal cases for the regional heats. The level of competition was fierce and although Cronton College fought their three rounds to an exceptionally high standard, they narrowly missed out on competing in the final round.
Nonetheless, the students had a fantastic day, and were able to expand their understanding of the law, develop skills in argument and reasoning, and learn more about career opportunities at the Bar. These are all skills which are developed in the Tomorrow’s Lawyers Programme.
Andy Thornton, Chief Executive of the Citizenship Foundation, said, “This kind of hands-on experience is an incredibly valuable learning opportunity for young people and is a great way of introducing them to a profession that they might know little about outside of common television portrayals.
“The competition teaches strong skills in debating, analytical thinking and reasoning, and builds confidence in public speaking. We have had an unprecedented volume of schools signing up to take part this year, which signals the value that school teachers place on this annual competition.”
One student who played a defence witness commented, “The day was thoroughly enjoyable and provided an insight into court proceedings, I’d encourage anyone who is interested in law to go for it, it was so interesting.”