Liv Rankine, Recipient of the Judge John Newton Mooting Scholarship, Bond University

2019 Alumna - Northside Christian College

I participated in the Bond High School Mooting Competition in year 11 and 12. Mrs Franklin was my Legal Studies teacher and encouraged me to enter as I had a real passion for advocacy and using the law to help people in a real and practical way. In my first year of mooting we won Highly Commended and I won Best Oralist, and in my second year of mooting we won a Highly Commended again and I won an Honourable Advocate award.

As part of the high school mooting program, Bond offers the Judge John Newton Mooting Scholarship. This is worth 50% of the total cost of your degree’s tuition. To be considered, you must moot in year 11 or 12, and want to study a Bachelor of Laws or a combined Bachelor of Laws degree at Bond the year after you graduate year 12.

After mooting for two years, submitting a written application, personal statement, mooting reflection, and sitting an interview, I was offered one of three mooting scholarships for 2020!

My goal is to work with the United Nations as an international lawyer and to represent those who desperately need representation. Bond was the only university in South East Queensland that offered International Relations and Law as a combined degree, which was the exact area I wanted to streamline and focus my study on. This scholarship gave me the opportunity to pursue that exact degree and do it in an environment of support and second-to-none teaching.

Since commencing a combined degree in Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of International Relations in January, I have been crazy busy but absolutely loving university life! On top of a full course load I’m involved in Bond’s student ambassador and mooting program, and won the Brian Orr Mooting Competition in my first semester.

The opportunities that Mrs Franklin and Northside Christian College provided me with to compete in mooting opened up pathways I never thought possible. Thanks to their support I’m now studying my dream degree at my dream university.

What is Mooting?

Essentially, mooting is a mock trial set in an appeals court. Two teams argue on behalf of either the respondent or the appellant, and prepare submissions (legal arguments) to prove why the court should rule in their favour. The competition is judged by a panel of three judges who ask questions. Mooters must be able to think on their feet, engage in discussion with the judges (not rely on a script) and have a thorough understanding of the law and the facts of the case they’re arguing.