LSB December 2021 HR

EVENTS
Mock Trial Competition 2021:
That’s the way the cookie crumbles
STEPHANIE MOORE, MEMBER, MOCK TRIAL COMMITTEE
On Tuesday 14 September, 2021, the
Mock Court of South Australia sat to
hear the matter of Molini v Tudor: a personal
injury claim arising from a bike accident
caused by the defendant’s dog ‘Biscuit’.
The plaintiff, represented by University
Senior College, was Lee Molini, a young
student working part time as a bicycle
messenger. The defendant, represented by
Pembroke School, was Jo Tudor, the owner
of Biscuit, a male Doberman.
The issue at trial was whether Ms
Monlini’s fall was due to an attack by Biscuit
and if so, whether Mr Tudor was negligent
in keeping Biscuit secure in the front yard.
Barristers Jada Puglisi and Jazlyn
Southwell of University Senior College,
and Alec Johnson and Thomas Eckert
of Pembroke, impressed the judges with
their persuasive intellect. All four barristers
articulated thoughtful argument and
questioned witnesses appropriately about
their knowledge of Dobermans, cyclists
and the Dog and Cat Management Act 1995
(SA). The barristers were assisted by
their instructing solicitors: Patrick Munn
and Aastha Kumar of University Senior
College, and Marwan Salih and Lisa Cao of
Pembroke.
The witnesses were equally as
impressive and entertaining. Olivia
Spandrio, as the plaintiff, dressed in a hi-vis
vest. She was a convincing and credible
witness who told the Court she had fallen
off her bike due to an unruly dog. Prapti
Dhawan, as the retired witness, who was
more than happy to provide an account
that Biscuit “barrelled” into the plaintiff ’s
bike, performed her role well. Henry Ponte,
as the defendant, painted a picture of a
well-behaved Doberman, as did Moon Li,
the witness who previously owned Biscuit.
All witnesses experienced lengthy crossexamination.
The Court was assisted by the Judge’s
Associate, Lachie Davis, of Pembroke
who kept everyone running on time and
the Sherriff ’s Officer, Em Bonython, of
University Senior College who maintained
order in the Court.
Ultimately, the Court (being Justice Tim
Stanley, “Justice” Rebecca Stanford and
“Justice” Stephanie Moore) were satisfied
that Biscuit had caused the plaintiff to fall
off her bike and that the defendant failed
to take reasonable precautions to prevent
his dog from escaping.
University Senior College not only won
its fictional case, but also took out the title
as the winner of the Mock Trial overall.
Jada Puglisi won the award for the
Outstanding Competitor whilst Thomas
Eckert won the Best Barrister award,
including the invaluable added prize of a
week’s work experience with Justice Stanley.
Janine Campbell, the Legal Studies and
History teacher from University Senior
College said “The competition is fantastic.
Students learn so much about law, but
also develop a range of transferable skills
such as problem solving, public speaking,
collaboration etc. Over the years, for some
of my students it has been a life-changing
experience. Every now and then I meet
parents who also remark on their memories
of being in the competition many years
ago.”
Jacqui McCann, the legal teacher
of Pembroke said “the students had a
wonderful time working together over
the six months and many new, strong
friendships have been formed, which is a
fabulous outcome.”
The Mock Trial Committee offers
its sincere thanks to Justice Stanley and
Bec Sandford who helped to judge the
grand final competition. Thank you also
to all of the students and teachers who
participated in this year’s competition
and the members of the profession who
volunteered their time to coach teams or
judge trials throughout the year, including
Chris Brohier who coached University
Senior College and Professor Rick Sarre
who informally coached Pembroke.
The competition is an excellent
opportunity for high school students
in Adelaide to work with people in the
profession and to gain valuable skills to
help them in their potential, future legal
carers. The Committee wishes to thank the
volunteers from the legal profession, the
Society and the Law Foundation of SA for
their ongoing support of the Mock Trial
Competition. B
Winning team, University Senior College
Winning team, University Senior College
Best barrister Thomas Eckert,
Pembroke School
Outstanding Competitor Jada Puglisi,
University Senior College
December 2021 THE BULLETIN 25