Legal Studies Excursion

The Year Eleven Legal class went to the Magistrates' and Supreme Courts on Wednesday, 11 September. It was in the city, and it was actually really fun. I thought it might be a bit scary to go into the courts, but the judges we spoke to were very kind and helpful for our upcoming SAC. We met a magistrate, Her Honour Harnett, who explained how the civil justice system works and shared anecdotes about her time as a judge. We sat in on several cases, but they were mainly minor cases.

The Supreme Court was similar but also quite different. We went into the Supreme Court and saw one of the courtrooms. There, we met Justice Andrea, who explained how to become a judge and what it’s like being one. We were then taken into a courtroom to see an active case, which was a Will dispute. We observed a cross-examination, looked at bank statements as evidence, and watched a witness being questioned. The witness was pretty interesting!  We also got to visit the Supreme Court's library, which was massive. It had numerous portraits and one-of-a-kind books that are vital to Australian political history, like the sentence of Ned Kelly! Overall, it was an insightful and enjoyable excursion, and we would highly recommend that younger students consider taking Legal Studies in the future. Experiencing the courts firsthand brought the subject to life, making it not only informative but also incredibly interesting!

Helena Frank & Belle Nguyen - Year 11 Students