In brief: The Collas Crill Moot mock trial competition has returned for its 19th year, giving sixth form students across the Channel Islands a hands-on taste of the legal profession. Students will work through real-life case notes covering criminal, employment and defamation matters before competing across four rounds in a mock court setting.
Back in the Dock
There are not many school competitions where you can argue a defamation case one week and a criminal matter the next, but that is precisely the appeal of the Collas Crill Moot, which Bailiwick Express reports has launched once again for sixth form students across the Channel Islands. Now in its 19th year in Guernsey, the competition has established itself as one of the more imaginative ways a law firm has ever gone about talent spotting, or indeed community engagement.
The format is rigorous. Students study real-life legal case notes spanning criminal, employment and defamation scenarios before stepping into a mock court setting to argue their positions. The competition runs over four rounds, with participants mentored and coached by Collas Crill lawyers throughout. Judging is carried out by partners from the firm, and students are assessed on court etiquette, persuasiveness, clarity, body language, legal argument and timekeeping. It is, in short, the full package, short of an actual wig.
A Royal Court Finale
The standard of the competition is not to be sniffed at. In Guernsey, the 2025 final was held in the Royal Court itself, with the Deputy Bailiff at the time, Jessica Roland, presiding as head judge. Roland has since been appointed Bailiff, which gives some sense of the calibre of judicial involvement the Moot attracts. The Sixth Form Centre claimed the title after what Bailiwick Express describes as an impressive performance in the final.
Jason Romer, Chief Executive Officer of Collas Crill, said the competition is “one of the most rewarding initiatives we run as a firm,” adding that it gives students “a genuine insight into the legal profession while helping them build confidence, advocacy and communication skills that will benefit them whatever career path they choose.” He also noted that the programme is “a true team effort, with colleagues across our offices giving their time, expertise and enthusiasm to make the programme a success year after year.”
Why It Matters for Jersey
While the Moot is rooted in Guernsey, Collas Crill operates across the Channel Islands, and the competition draws in students from the wider region. For Jersey sixth formers with an eye on a legal career, whether in the Island’s thriving finance industry or in the courts themselves, this kind of practical exposure is genuinely valuable. The ability to construct a coherent argument, stand up in front of a room and be assessed on your body language and timekeeping is not something that turns up in most A-level syllabuses.
Beyond law specifically, the skills being tested here, clear communication, persuasion, composure under scrutiny, are the sort that employers across every sector say they struggle to find in school leavers. A competition that takes those skills seriously and puts them in a realistic setting deserves credit for that alone.
Source: Bailiwick Express
