Two out of four teams have made it to the finals of the Fortis Advocatus Moot Court Competition, a simulation of court proceedings in the form of a hypothetical mock trial which will be taking place today.
And both of those teams are from Antigua and Barbuda.
This year, the National Mooting Association of Antigua and Barbuda is having its third annual competition and it featured students from the TA Marryshow Community College in Grenada.
Twelve Antiguan students from the Antigua State Collage and the St Anthony’s Secondary School along with six Grenadian students registered their participation in a moot court competition held at the High Court of Antigua and Barbuda.
The 18 students were paired in teams of two where they prepared written memorials in February on a given fact pattern to vie for a spot in the semi-final round.
After the qualifying round, four of the nine teams — two from Grenada and two from Antigua and Barbuda — advanced to the semi-finals which took place yesterday.
The pairs displayed their oral advocacy skills representing the Prosecution and Defence before a panel of esteemed judges which comprised of judicial officers and senior legal professionals.
In the end, the two local teams nabbed the two spots in today’s finals.
Reginae Morris and Asha Thomas will act as defence lawyers and Leila Lewis and Safiya Crump will be prosecutors.
The aim of the competition is to educate and train law students on the inner workings of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court and allow for the development of research, writing and advocacy skills.
The competition is sponsored by Richards & Company, Attorneys-at-Law, as well as the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs in Antigua and Barbuda as in previous years.
In addition, the Prime Minister’s Scholarship Committee has now partnered with the association to sponsor the competition.
The directors committee of the mooting association comprises attorneys-at-law Andrena Athill, Kemar Roberts, Jeniece St Romain, and Curtis Cornelius.