Bar Mock Trial team excel at Liverpool Crown Court

The College’s Bar Mock Trial team put on a superb performance at Liverpool Crown Court, as a host of schools from across the area competed in the regional final.

Each year, the Citizenship Foundation arranges for A Level Law students up and down the country to take on the role of barristers for mock trials, but in front of real judges and in real courts.

Now in its 25^th year, nearly 55,000 students in the UK have taken part since it began, and our crack team of lawyers-to-be this year took their place among other schools in the North West, many of them Grammar and selective institutions.

"The Bar Mock Trials give a first-hand look into the career itself and it helps you decide whether Law is something you want to pursue beyond A Level. It certainly tops my list of potential careers now." - Alex Earley, first year Law student

Despite winning each of the cases put before them, in a display that had Head of Law, Paula Blakemore, ‘more confident of them reaching the National Final than any other year’, it wasn’t to be for our mixture of AS and A Level Law students, and they couldn’t emulate their predecessors’ regional victory that led to the Final at the Old Bailey in April.

Winning aside, the process and experience is one that none of the team will forget and it’s given some students definitive career aspirations.

First year Law student, Alex Earley, said: “It was a whole new experience but it was fantastic. Going to Liverpool Crown Court and competing in real court rooms, plus being dressed up and looking the part – it was all amazing. I like to think I did the best that I could, and the rest of the team were brilliant.”

Along with expert A Level teaching from former lawyers in the Birkenhead Sixth Form College Law Department, the team was mentored by a practising professional barrister.

Sarah Griffin of Exchange Chambers did a fantastic job with the team, and Alex said: “Sarah was great. It was a bit of pressure trying to perform while there was a genuine barrister looking on! But she gave really good, useful advice that we all took on board and it helped us perform to the best of our ability.”

Alex studies Chemistry, Music and Psychology as well as Law, and explained: “I think doing the Bar Mock Trials gives you an edge when it comes to academic work in College too, with extra real-life experience adding to what you do in class. It’s also given a first-hand look into the career itself and it helps you decide whether Law is something you want to pursue beyond A Level. It certainly tops my list of potential careers now.”

Fellow first year, Abbey Fowler, enthused: “It was amazing - the best thing I’ve ever done! I want to be a barrister and it just let me in on what it’s going to be like and it made me realise how much I want it. It was nerve-wracking to begin with, going into the court itself, but once you got into it, it was brilliant. You felt like a proper barrister, with the wig and gown on! It was such a good experience. I loved it.”

Trying mock cases including crimes such as Grievous Bodily Harm and witness intimidation, Abbey continued: “We spent a good two months preparing beforehand so we were all fairly confident beforehand. I think I did quite well. The ‘defendant’ in my case was found guilty, which was my job, so I was really pleased! The rest of the team were brilliant as well. All the verdicts that we needed, we got.”

The College’s Bar Mock Team will continue to compete in friendly competitions against other local schools across the academic year and build on their exclusive and high-quality learning experience from Liverpool Crown Court.

More students from Birkenhead Sixth Form College go on to study Law at university than from any other Wirral school.