Students from John Gray High School and Cayman Prep and High School will face each other in the final of the Cayman Collas Crill Moot competition on 22 January.

Nia-Shae Wedderburn and Asonya Sweeney of John Gray will go head to head with Kai Bodden and Cate Lee of Cayman Prep in a fictitious case concerning the shady dealings of a billionaire entrepreneur.

The final will once again take place at the Grand Court in George Town. In an exciting development for this year the final will be judged by the Honourable Justice David Doyle, Judge of the Grand Court. He will be joined on the tribunal by Collas Crill’s Managing Partner in Cayman, Stephen Leontsinis, and Counsel, Natascha Steiner-Smith.

The Moot is an annual inter-school competition that sees senior students from across Cayman competing against each other in a mock-trial setting. 

Students study real-life legal case notes and apply them to a mock court situation. Participants are mentored and coached by Collas Crill attorneys throughout the competition and judged by some of the firm’s partners and lawyers during the mock trials.

A different fictional legal case is argued in each round, covering tort, contract and criminal law.

The students are marked on a number of factors including their court etiquette, persuasiveness, clarity, body language and time-keeping.

Nia-Shae, Asonya, Kai and Cate have come through three rounds of the annual competition to reach the hotly contested final – which was won by St Ignatius last year.  

It is the third time the Moot has run in Cayman with more than 60 students taking part in this year’s competition. This is the first time John Gray has entered a team.

The students, their teachers, family and friends, as well as staff from Collas Crill, will all attend the final and the post-event prize-giving and reception, hosted at the Grand Court.

The Moot winners will be presented with the coveted Collas Crill Moot Shield to take back to their school. They will also be offered the chance to take part in the firm’s Summer Internship programme.

There are also a number of additional awards to be handed out during the prizegiving, highlighting the standout performance of teams and individuals throughout the competition.

Stephen Leontsinis said: ‘The Collas Crill Moot has grown year on year and we are delighted to have five high schools now taking part in the competition. To progress to the final in their first year is a great achievement for John Gray High School. 

‘I know how impressed the Collas Crill team was by all the students who took part – they all demonstrated real professionalism in how they presented themselves and their arguments. Through the Moot we are giving these students a real taster of law as a career path and, in doing so, helping to identify and support the future generation of Cayman lawyers.

‘I would like to thank the staff and teachers of the high schools for their continued support and, of course, Justice Doyle for so kindly giving up his time to act as lead Judge for the final, and the Honourable Chief Justice Margaret Ramsay-Hale and her staff who allowed us the use of the Grand Court facilities.

‘All that is left for me to say is good luck to Nia-Shae, Asonya, Kai and Cate and I look forward to seeing how the Collas Crill Moot final plays out on 22 January.’