David Taylor

The fifth and sixth year pupils from St Andrews Academy, Clydebank High School and Lesmahagow High School took on the roles of prosecution and defence in a criminal trial using papers adapted from the resources available on the MiniTrial website, written by now retired judge Lord Kinclaven.

The event opened with a panel discussion where speakers, David Taylor (advocate), Nishant Gokhale (lecturer in law at UWS and former litigator and judicial clerk at the Indian Supreme Court), Banaz Kamil (PhD researcher at the UWS) and Ryan Wheildon (third year law student at the UWS) spoke about their respective journeys into law.

David Taylor, who played the role of sheriff during the mock trial, said: “It was a pleasure to preside over this mock trial and to see the MiniTrial materials being put to such good use.

“MiniTrials provides an excellent introduction to the criminal and civil justice system but, more importantly, it give students the opportunity to gain valuable skills that will benefit them in their future careers.”

The MiniTrial is becoming an annual occasion at UWS, which, last year, hosted a ‘Return of the Snail’ event, where pupils from local schools took part in a mock proof based on Donoghue v Stevenson, using materials from the MiniTrial Paisley Snail Starter Pack.

Dr Susannah Paul, lecturer in law at UWS who co-organised the event with Dr Joanna Wilson, said: “It is always great to welcome local schools onto our campus in Paisley and the pupils have engaged with the MiniTrial with great gusto. I think that we may have witnessed some of the next generation of legal professionals start their careers today.”