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On Wednesday, 30th April, Nottingham Law School hosted the annual Hammond Cup competition, filling the courtroom with anticipation as four talented finalists took the stage in an electrifying final. Presiding over the event this year were HHJ Coe KC, HHJ Coupland, and HHJ Owen. The Society deeply values the presence and support of the Hammond family, who continue to honor the legacy of their late father, Michael Hammond, by supporting the competition he founded in 1968.
The finalists included aspiring pupil barristers and a trainee solicitor: Amelia Trem from Castle Gate Chambers, Olivia Hopewell from Property Management Services Ltd, Claudia James, and Cameron Byrne from the Crown Prosecution Service. Each participant showcased their advocacy skills in two simulated criminal trials, stepping into the roles of either prosecution or defence.
Adding depth to the trials were Shannon Mould as Julie Thorpe, Kirsty Gregson as Mandy Hughes, and Drew Dennis as John Caine. The criminal case revolved around Julie and Mandy, whose long-standing friendship had soured due to romantic entanglements with John Caine. However, John's faltering memory left him uncertain about who he'd shared a brief encounter with. The narrative escalated with an alleged altercation between Thorpe and Hughes, threats exchanged, and punches thrown. After an apparent assault with a dog pram on the recreation ground, the parties made their exit where John Caine escorted Julie Thorpe to her home...
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During the initial mock trial, Olivia delivered a measured opening statement, maintained control in her speech, and exhibited a strong stance. Her persistent questioning skills as the Prosecutor were evident as she interrogated all three actors involved.
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Claudia took over the questioning next, displaying a strong stance and very direct approach to her questioning, and persistent in his defence strategy. Claudia continued to pursue that the event didn't happen, it was all make believe as all the evidence submitted was flaky!
The trial concluded with Claudia delivering an impressive closing speech. Both Olivia and Claudia showcased their ability to quickly respond to the actors' witty remarks, rambling testimonials, bringing them back into focus, resulting in humorous unscripted exchanges, particularly during the moments of memory relapse!
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After a short break, the courtroom stood as the Judges entered for the second simulated trial, featuring Amelia Trem from Castle Gate Chambers and Cameron Byrne from the Crown Prosecution Service.
Amelia begins the trial with a powerful, commanding tone in her opening statement, delivering a concise and clear speech. She then proceeds to question the witnesses and the defence.
During the trial, yet again, moments of memory lapse, did John Caine drive a van or a car, was his window up or down, on the north or south side of the road...!
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Cameron questioned the witnesses and defendant, with controlled and poignant questioning, pulling holes through all their statements as none appeared to be true and delivered a well-measured closing statement.
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The courtroom stood as HHJ Coe KC, HHJ Coupland and HHJ Owen exited to deliberate on the deserving winner of the esteemed Hammond Cup trophy among the four exceptional finalists. Once the decision was made, everyone rose again for the announcement of the 2025 champion. HHJ Coe KC led the feedback from with praise that all four had worked hard to achieve their place in the final and showed exceptional advocacy skills, this was re-iterated in the feedback from HHJ Coupland and HHJ Owen.
HHJ Coe KC expressed gratitude to all involved, including the remarkable finalists who showcased an extremely high standard of advocacy in what was a complex romantic and 'unforgettable' criminal case, as well as those who contributed to creating the competitive environment in the Society and Nottingham Law School. HHJ Coe KC had the honour of revealing the winner, underscoring the difficulty of selecting a victor, as everyone had performed so well in their role as prosecutor and defence.
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The champion and finalists were revealed, starting with the winner, Claudia James from Crown Prosecution Service. Following the announcement of the winner, the runners up were announced as Amelia Trem, from Castle Gate Chambers, Cameron Byrne from Crown Prosecution Service and then Olivia Hopewell, from Property Management Services Ltd. Vice President, Marie Dancer gave thanks to everyone involved and added to the Judges comments on the level of advocacy skills demonstrated in the court-room. Sara Davis, daughter of Michael Hammond was invited to present the trophy to the winner, Claudia James.
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Nottinghamshire Law Society thanks everyone for their assistance in developing the Hammond Cup Advocacy competition, this year:
- HHJ Coe KC
- HHJ Coupland
- HHJ Owen
- Nottinghamshire Law Society Education & Training Committee
- Nottinghamshire Law School
- Nottinghamshire Junior Lawyers Division (NJLD)