Mooting – Students will be appearing in groups of six in the oral sentencing submission tutorials, addressing issues raised by a fact situation – they will be representing one of the defendants. They will have eight minutes each for oral argument (which may include answering questions from the Judge) and they will be kept strictly to this time. Students will be marked during their oral argument according to the following factors: 1 Presentation Adherence to the formalities of the Court. Ability to cite cases correctly and make correct references to judges and the court. 2 Argument and questions The structure of the argument (clear introduction, body and conclusion). The overall persuasiveness of the argument. Knowledge of the subject area and issues raised. Application of law to the facts. Ability to answer questions. 3 Speaking ability and delivery Degree of confidence. Verbal delivery skills (succinct, good pace, appropriate volume, clarity of speech). Overall demeanour (eye contact, posture, absence of distracting mannerisms). Did the participant read verbatim from their submission or speak to their argument? As noted, if students want to change their argument in light of the feedback received on their written submissions they are advised to file updated written submissions. These will not be graded – they will simply serve to assist the judge in following the oral argument if it differs from the original written submissions. The grade for oral submissions will comprise 20% of the final grade for this course.
