Young legal eagles spread their wings as courts host mock trials

THE GOWNED and wigged barristers rushing around the Courts of Criminal Justice in Dublin this weekend may have looked younger and less experienced than usual but their arguments were just as passionate and convincing.

The major case of the day, presided over by three judges, saw a fictional clergywoman found guilty by unanimous verdict of drink-driving by an all-female jury in school uniforms. The rather unusual sentence of banning the reverend from “giving sermons” was made by Mr Justice Peter Kelly as part of the final of the transition-year National Mock Trial competition.

The schools competition, organised by the group Public Access to Law (PAL), brought teams of students before real judges to play the parts of barristers, solicitors, jurors, witnesses, gardaí, court registrars and court reporters in fictional cases.

The mock trials tournament brings “young people into connection with the knowledge of what happens in the law court” which is part and parcel of what happens in civic life, Mr Justice Kelly of the High Court said on Saturday, as he announced the winners. “Unfortunately, as in all litigation, there is a winner and a loser: in a criminal trial the prosecution succeeds or fails.”

First time finalists the Holy Family Secondary School from Newbridge, Co Kildare won against previous champions Our Lady’s Secondary School, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co Louth.

Mr Justice Kelly presided over the final mock trial alongside district court judge Ms Justice Mary Collins and circuit court judge Ms Justice Petria McDonnell.

Comparing the principle of “reasonable doubt” to the motivation to change college course on a CAO application, was among the points made by the winning team’s prosecution counsel of Katie Clooney-Gainey (16) and Róisín O’Donnell (16).

In her closing statement, Ms O’Donnell told the jury that the law did not make allowances for someone who was a member of the clergy even if they had a “wonderful character”, because the law had “one standard for us all”.

The prosecution team calculated that the reverend must have been travelling over the speed limit, at 104kph (65mph), to make her journey in the time she had indicated.

This elicited a repeated response from the reverend on the stand – played by Ciara Duffy (16), of Drogheda – of “I’m not a map-woman”. Ms Duffy won a joint prize for best performer.

The performance by the defence counsel from Drogheda of Laura Bartley (16) and Sarah McLoughlin (16) included a lively cross-examination of a garda (played by Laura O’Brien of Newbridge).

The garda was asked if she knew the reverend had to drink communion wine “as part of her job”, with the quick reply from Ms O’Brien that “occupation had nothing to do with it”. Ms O’Brien won a joint prize for best performer.

The jury took just five minutes to clear the reverend of the charge of being incapable of controlling a vehicle but find her guilty of drink-driving.

Ms Clooney-Gainey and Ms O’Donnell both said they would be interested in getting into the legal profession after the experience. “I hadn’t thought of it before this, but I’d love to,” Ms Clooney-Gainey said.

The tournament has been run for almost 15 years by barrister Vincent P Martin, director of PAL. PAL also presents a law module to up to 8,000 transition year students annually.

The tournament gives students the opportunity to simulate law as a profession, to gain an understanding of how the legal system operates and develop “their ability to think on their feet”, Mr Martin said.

Other competition winners included: Sian Fox of Cross and Passion College, Kilcullen for photography; Karen Chatterton, Coláiste na Toirbhirte, Bandon for newspaper reporting; Andrea Kelly, Our Lady’s Secondary School, Drogheda for art; and Cian O’Doherty of Castleknock College for TV reporting.