Citipointe College’s legal eagles soar at national competition

Citipointe College was in the grand final last year but did one better this year taking out the National High School Mooting Competition.

National mooting champions Julia Richardson, Rueben Steyn and Grace Kronenberg of Citipointe Christian College. Picture: Cavan Flynn

CARINDALE’S Citipointe Christian College has claimed the National High School Mooting Competition, beating 80 other teams from across Australia.

Citipointe defeated leading Melbourne private school Haileybury in a hotly contested grand final at Bond University on the Gold Coast.

Citipointe student Rueben Steyn was also announced best advocate in the competition.

“It is insane, I did not expect to be announced the best advocate,” Mr Steyn said.

“It was super exciting to be given those kind words from the judges.”

“I don’t do legal studies, so the team were really good bringing me up to speed with all the legal terms and getting me ready. The whole process was so much fun.”

Mr Steyn said he was now reassessing his career goals.

“We are so proud to win this competition,” he said.

“I wasn’t going to study law after high school, but after this experience I’m starting to think about it.”

Mooting is a simulated court proceeding in which teams are presented with a problem which they argue before a panel of judges.

In the Bond competition, the students were arguing either side of a liability case stemming from a paintball accident.

The grand final was contested before Justice Robert Gotterson of the Queensland Supreme Court of Appeal and retired judge John Newton who was overwhelmed with the quality of submissions from the high school students.

“The standard today is much higher than when I first started judging this moot competition many years ago,” Mr Newton said.

“I was very impressed with the clarity of expression, and the submissions were logical. Mr Steyn answered the questions in some depth and took the trouble to understand what the questioner was concerned with when framing his answers and submissions.”

Citipointe Christian College also made the grand final last year but went one better this year, coming away with the title.

The National High School Mooting Competition is one of the oldest in Australia, having been established in 1989, the year Bond University was founded.