08 February 2019
President encourages members to get involved in mock trial competition
The President of the Law Society of Northern Ireland, Suzanne Rice, is encouraging local solicitors to get involved and to volunteer as a judge in the Mock Magistrates’ Court Trial (MMCT) competition 2019.
The national competition has been successfully run for a number of years and continues to provide a practical platform for local schools and students to interact with the legal profession.
Commenting the President Suzanne Rice said:
"I would encourage our members to consider the invitation to volunteer and support this important initiative which helps create a better awareness of the legal and justice system in Northern Ireland with local schools".
Mock Magistrates’ Court Trial (MMCT) competition
2019
Background
Each year, schools across Northern Ireland are
invited to participate in a Mock
Magistrates’ Court Trial (MMCT) competition, organised by the
Young Citizens Foundation in partnership with The Northern Ireland Courts &
Tribunal service (NICTS).
The
competition, which has been running for 25 years, is an example of ‘citizenship
education’ which is designed to help students understand what it means to
belong to communities; to understand the language of morality and rights; and
of responsibilities towards others.
It aims to
foster respect for the law, justice and democracy and an understanding of how
laws are made and upheld. In addition, it helps equip young people to
deal with situations of conflict and controversy both knowledgeably and
tolerantly and to understand the consequences of their actions and of those
around them. Through this competition, pupils will learn how to recognize
bias, evaluate argument, weigh evidence, and look for alternative
interpretations, viewpoints and sources of evidence.
2019
This year, the
event will be held in Craigavon
Court on Saturday 9 March 2019 and it is anticipated that 12
schools from across Northern Ireland will be participating.
NICTS are
inviting members of the Society and Bar to volunteer to sit on a panel which will
judge the performance of the 12 teams on the day of the competition.
Please click here to download a copy of the 'Judge – Volunteer
Role Guide’ for your information.
In order to
ensure the smooth and efficient running of the competition, NICTS is hoping to
secure the support of a minimum of 14
legal practitioners to perform this role.
If interested
please contact:
Barbara
McCrory
Court Administrator
Craigavon Court
Telephone - 028 92625064
Email: Barbara.mccrory@courtsni.gov.uk