They say that a small percentage of people learn by reading, a greater percentage by listening to someone and the most by doing things themselves. This is exactly the method we have adopted with our training interventions and our recent Advanced Trial Advocacy course in Durban proved just that!
Trial advocacy is by its very nature a ‘doing’ topic. There is little value to be found in books on the issues of trial advocacy such as the presentation of evidence, court etiquette, cross-examination and argument. That is not to say one should not read those books, but if you want to learn how to do these things, then practicing is the only way! And practicing under the guidance of experienced trainers is by far the best bet here.
After some basic presentations on the do’s and don’ts of these core skills of trial advocacy, our delegates found themselves quickly in the thick of things in our course. Some had never appeared in court before whilst others had several years experience litigating in both civil and criminal trials. But every single one soon found they had something to learn, and skills already had were often in dire need of polishing and tweaking!
Delegates were paired opposite each other in mock trials with them playing the roles of counsel for the plaintiff and respondent, prosecutor and defence lawyer. Case study facts were given to prepare and soon they were appearing before the very learned Presiding officers of the Silver Fox High Court!
This was not only an enjoyable and educational, but also a very quick learning experience for all and the confidence of all was much improved by the last day where they had all had a chance to display their court skills, leading their witnesses, cross-examining their opponent’s witnesses and presenting some very cogent arguments to a very impressed bench!
So if you’re looking to either learn litigations skills or improve on what you have got so far, then you are well advised to attend one of our Advanced Trial Advocacy Courses. These are accredited by the Legal Practice Council and we will be presenting them in various parts of the country over the next few months.
