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For National Law Week, the Mackay District Law Association (MDLA) held its annual moot competition. This year Macrossan & Amiet Solicitors were represented by two participants, Shannyn Flynn and Sophie Ford.
A moot is a mock court trial where trainee and graduate solicitors are teamed up to compete against each other in the presence of a judge. Preliminary moots were held on Monday, 8 May and Tuesday, 9 May. The winners from the preliminary moots then went on to compete in a final moot on Friday 12 May.
The preliminary moot was a criminal matter using the facts from the fable Jack and the Beanstalk. On Monday, Sophie Ford and her partner Daniel Lane, from Wallace and Wallace were successful in defending from a conviction of unlawful homicide and on Tuesday Shannyn Flynn and her partner Nick Coughlan, from Fisher Dore Lawyers were successful in convicting Jack of unlawful homicide.
Sophie and Shannyn went head-to-head in the final moot, in a civil matter, using facts from the Rapunzel fable. Sophie and Daniel acted for the Plaintiff, Rapunzel and Shannyn and Nick acted for the Defendant, Dame Gothel in a claim against Dame Gothel for false imprisonment. Members of the legal profession attended the final moot to support their peers and provided constructive feedback.
Both teams had a great performance and received valuable feedback to assist in developing their skills for their future court appearances and legal careers. Macrossan & Amiet came away with two wins from the competition with the Judge ruling in the Defendants favour, with Shannyn and Nick taking out the win and Sophie being awarded with the “Best Advocate Award”.
Participating in the moots was a rewarding experience for the trainee and graduate solicitors. The moot presented an opportunity for new members of the legal profession to develop skills, network and learn from experienced judges and barristers.
Macrossan & Amiet would like to congratulate and thank all the participants, volunteers and coordinators involved with the moot.
About the author
Sophie Ford
Solicitor
LLB
Sophie was born and grew up in Toowoomba. She completed her secondary schooling education at St Joseph’s College Toowoomba in 2018. In 2019, Sophie moved to Brisbane where she completed a Bachelor of Laws at Queensland University of Technology.
Sophie commenced with the firm in February 2023. Later that month on Monday 20 February 2023, Sophie was admitted as a solicitor in the Supreme Court of Queensland in Brisbane.
Sophie is interested in the areas of Crime, Family and Personal Injury.
Outside of work, Sophie enjoys socialising, playing sports and baking.
About Macrossan & Amiet Solicitors
For over 100 years, Macrossan & Amiet Solicitors has been a leading local law firm in Mackay, with offices in Proserpine and Cannonvale servicing the Whitsundays region. Our experienced solicitors provide professional legal services to individuals, families and businesses across regional Queensland.
Whether you need representation in court, assistance buying or selling property, or advice on protecting your assets, our Mackay lawyers are committed to achieving the best possible outcome for you.
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