Supreme Court Special Recognition for Case Competition Participant

Author: Elo Gaver

For the second year in a row, Geia Rõivas, a student at Miina Härma Gymnasium, took part in the Supreme Court of Estonia’s student case competition — and received a special mention for her outstanding work.

This time, the jury praised her original thinking and independent approach to solving the case. Geia was mentored by Elo Gaver, Assistant to the CEO at Digiwise, who also teaches full-time in the classroom.

The Supreme Court’s annual competition invites students to step into the shoes of a judge. Participants are given real-life inspired cases and can choose to solve them in the fields of administrative, criminal, or civil law. They can submit either a written judgment or a creative-format response.

Geia chose to solve a civil law case and submitted a traditional written judgment. Over 70 students submitted entries, and just over 40 made it to the jury’s desk. The jury praised the maturity of the students’ reasoning and noted that while most entries refer to the Estonian Constitution, many also rely on specific laws and regulations.

The mentor’s role is a delicate one — to guide, offer feedback, and help the student stay focused, without ever taking over the process. The student’s own values and sense of justice must shine through.

For a mentor, seeing a student grow and explore new opportunities is its own reward. Thanks to last year’s recognition, Geia has already taken part in job shadowing experiences at both the Ministry of Justice and the Harju County Court.