Meet the N.B. undergrads who are making waves in moot court competitions

St. Thomas University undergrads Emily Green and Ashley Thornton aren't law students.

But they've been turning in stellar performances at moot court competitions for two years, and next week, they'll be competing at an international competition that they've been preparing for since last summer.

The Stetson International Environmental Moot Court Competition, which gets underway next week in Gulfport, Fla., is usually only open to students from law schools. 

But the duo's success at last year's regional rounds meant they advanced to the nationals, which opened the door to international competition.

"It's a very big deal for me," Thornton told CBC News. "I think I'm going into law school next year, so just having this experience and getting to compete alongside current law students and go on this opportunity with Emily is very exciting."

Green, who's a third-year environmental student, said she's not sure if law school is in her future, but the competition's theme this year – protected areas and armed conflict – is dear to her heart, so the case is right up her alley.

"The environment and environmental protection will always kind of be my thing," she said. 

Thornton and Green have been competing together in moot court, a mock court at which law students argue imaginary cases for practice, for two years.

Last year, they had great success at regional rounds, where they were the only undergraduate team. Thornton still remembers the feeling when they found out they were advancing to the nationals. 

"We were honestly shocked because it was our first year," she said. "We were ... whooping and hollering in the halls of St. Thomas." 

Preparing since last summer

Because of the pandemic, Green and Thornton have only competed virtually until now, so the international competition on April 7 will be their first in-person competition. And it's a big one.

The Stetson International Environmental Moot Court Competition is the world's largest moot court competition devoted exclusively to global environmental challenges. Teams from around the world participate, with regional rounds held in Africa, East Asia, Eastern and Central Europe, Ireland, India, Latin America, North America, and Southeast Asia. 

This year, 12 teams from North America, Africa, Asia, Europe and South America will compete for trophies and top honours.

Green and Thornton have been preparing for a case involving two main scenarios.

In the first, conflict following an election causes a paramilitary group to set up camp in a wetland, which is damaged when the government retaliates to force the group out. 

In the second, a country is trying to build an eco-tourism hotel in a wetland.

Thornton is representing the government in the first case, and Green is representing a country called the Republic of Bronco in the second.

The duo first read their assigned court case last summer. Since then, they've been working their way through legal documents and other relevant cases, as well as drafting and submitting their legal arguments.

They've also been preparing oral arguments in weekly sessions with their coaches.

Thornton said preparing for the competition has really helped her public speaking skills.

"In these competitions, we're going to be speaking in front of judges ... and the audience," she said.

"It's for 15 minutes at a time and you have no notes, so you have to maintain eye contact and everything."

Thornton said the duo's skills are well-balanced, but competing can still be nerve-wracking – especially the moment before it's their turn to present. 

"I think we just kind of take that moment to think, you know, we've researched this issue, our arguments are prepared, and we're just going to go up there and do it and deliver," Green said.

It helps that, after two years of practising and competing, they know each other so well that they can read each other's body language.

"I can tell the minute that [Ashley is] flustered," Green said. "But of course, the judges would never know."