It’s one thing for students to stand in front of their teacher and peers to show off how much they know.
It’s quite another thing to stand in an unusual place wearing unfamiliar garb and trying to impress a stranger.
Students of the Cayman Islands Law School got a practical lesson in how to argue a case when they took part in moots at the Law Courts Building last week.
Moots combine debate with oral examinations. Participants research a point of law and prepare their formal presentation, but they can be interrupted at any time by a judge asking questions.
The challenge is to stay calm under this kind of pressure and literally think on one’s feet.
On Thursday, Nadine Watler and Elkie Rose won the Junior Cup for their successful appeal of a case involving a retail store that did not honour its TV advertisement. Andrew Jackson and Shanni Elcock were their opponents, with arguments based on contract law.
On Friday, Lisa Embleton and Alvin Babb won the Senior Shield as respondents in a case involving a teacher who was dismissed from her post. Pamella Mendez and Sasha Powell argued the appeal, with both sides relying on aspects of the UK Employment Act.
The moots were organised by Ms Deborah Barker, professional practice course leader at the law school. She invited attorneys Ian Whan Tong and Anthony Akiwumi to take the bench as judges.
Mr. Whan Tong, chief policy analyst at the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority, judged the junior moot. He congratulated all participants on their knowledge of the law and the facts of the case.
His critique included helpful practical advice. Nervous hand gestures can be distracting, but hands won’t get in the way if they are clasped, he suggested.
He commended them for maintaining eye contact with him, saying that was the only way they would be persuasive.
The students were also very good at waiting for him to find documents. Mr. Whan Tong said it was unfortunately common in court for attorneys to cite a source and keep talking before the judge had found the reference.
Most important, he warned, was the need to answer a judge’s question. Don’t sidestep. In real life, an attorney has to get an answer to the judge, even if that means asking for time to come back.
On Friday, Mr. Akiwumi reinforced the point. He said all participants had displayed an ability to think on their feet, although some were a bit quicker than others.
He said he had asked hard questions, but he was trying to help the participants, not trap them. He would have done them a disservice if he had not questioned them.
When one student had trouble answering a query, he did help. ‘Do you want to move on to your next point and take some time to consider this?’ he asked.
‘Yes, my lord,’ was the grateful reply.
Mr. Akiwumi, who practises criminal and civil law with Stuarts, said he hoped all the participants were encouraged by this experience and would consider careers as advocates.
‘It’s the most stimulating part of the profession,’ he told them.
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