A moot point- April Watson and Matthew Greenwood made it to national level for a school mooting competiton. 50839Picture: Kim Cartmell

By Bridget Cook
TWO Cranbourne Secondary College students recently competed at the national finals in the Bond University Faculty of Law High Schools Mooting Competition.
Year 12 students April Watson and Matthew Greenwood flew to Queensland last month to compete against 13 other schools from across Australia and Malaysia.
While they didn’t take out the title, the pair held their own against leading schools including Sydney and Brisbane Grammar School and The MacRobertson Girls High School.
The two students, who are both studying Legal Studies at school, took out the state level title earlier this year to advance to the nationals.
At the nationals, schools competed in the Faculty of Laws moot courtrooms. Mooting is like a “mock courtroom”. Students were required to debate against another school on a legal issue, in front of judges, each acting as lawyers.
Matthew said he was flabbergasted when they made it through to the nationals.
“My family was extremely proud,” he said.
“It didn’t really sink in that we were going to Queensland to compete at national level until we really started working and preparing for it.”
Mooting Master and Bond University Associate Professor of Law David Field said the mooting competition introduced students to the courtroom environment while allowing them the opportunity to confront real-life situations without the real-life consequences.
“The competition is an opportunity for all students to build their confidence and to put their thoughts into words, which is the type of exposure this competition offers that a classroom setting may not,” he said.
April is hoping for a future in law, while Matthew wants to become an engineer.