Mock trials
Gain experience in advocacy
Our mock trial activities give students a valuable opportunity to gain experience of day-to-day advocacy. This includes a range of pre-trial applications as well as the trial itself and the handling of witnesses.
As part of learning the overall trial procedure, students learn to conduct:
- Opening speeches
- Closing speeches
- Examination-in-chief
- Cross examinations
Pre-trial applications include:
- Bail application
- Applications regarding bad character
- Hearsay
These are all activities which you will need to study when moving on to the post graduate part of your legal studies and we are one of the only law schools to provide this opportunity for undergraduates to learn these important skills and help set you on your way to successfully complete that next stage of your studies.
Collaboration
As part of our mock trial advocacy activities we also collaborate with University Schools training health and social work professionals. These students write recommendations based upon fictional case studies as part of their studies, and then come to the Hertfordshire Law School to give evidence and to defend their views under questioning in a mock hearing.
This allows our law students to learn and develop the altogether different skill of handling expert witnesses and helps to provide our students, in light of the other activities, a full range of practical advocacy experience alongside their academic studies.
Our students have also undertaken similar exercises in partnership with the Metropolitan Police as part of their training for police officers.
Guest lectures
As part of our advocacy activities we also have a range of guest lectures throughout the year by members of the profession, including a number of Queen's Counsels.
These guests come and provide details of their experiences at the Bar, providing tips and advice on how to conduct effective and persuasive advocacy.
Importantly, we also have lectures giving advice on to how to get to the Bar in the first place, including recently by the Pupil Master at 15 New Bridge Street.
Other recent speakers include:
- Patrick Upward QC of 15 New Bridge Street
- John Cooper QC of 25 Bedford Row
- Richard Snowdon QC of Erskine Chambers
- Archangelo Power of 2 Bedford Row
Many of our students have gone on to obtain work experience after attending such lectures or by working with practitioners as part of the mock trials activities.