What is a plea in mitigation
A plea in mitigation is an argument made in court by the barrister or solicitor representing a Defendant that has pleaded guilty to or been found guilty of a criminal offence. The purpose of the plea in mitigation is to outline the mitigating factors in a case and therefore obtain the best possible sentence on behalf of their client. This is a type of advocacy undertaken regularly by criminal barristers and solicitors.
About the competition
The competition is open to:
– Law undergraduates and graduates;
– GDL students and graduates;
– Masters, BPTC and LPC students and graduates
– Those falling outside of the above parameters at the discretion of the organisers
Participants enter as individuals rather than teams and represent themselves and not their university. There is therefore no limit on the number of students that can enter from any given institution.
Submissions will be limited to 5 minutes per participant. The bundle will be sent to participants by no later than 6.00 pm on Friday 19th May 2023. By sending out the bundle the night before the competition, we are replicating the scenario in practice when a barrister or solicitor receives a later brief to appear in court the next day. The bundle will include all of the required materials, meaning no additional research is required. As this is a plea in mitigation competition, no drafting will be required. As there is no research or drafting, participants will be tested on their oral advocacy alone. The competition is judged by practising barristers and solicitors.
How it Works
The competition will take place on Zoom on Saturday 20th May 2023. The competition will run from 9am until 3pm. The entire competition will take place over the course of a single day.