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Five of the 50 female lawyers who attended the training program. |
Record Number of Law Students Attend Workshop on Civil and Criminal Advocacy
PNG’s Legal Training Institute (LTI), in collaboration
with Australia’s Victorian Bar recently, completed its most recent course on
Civil and Criminal Advocacy.
The workshop was supported by the Australian
Government through the PNG-Australia Partnership and provided LTI students with
the practical skills and knowledge they need to be effective courtroom
advocates in civil and criminal law matters.
This year saw the highest number
of students involved with over 150 participating, 50 percent of those being women.
Chief Justice Sir Gibuma Gibbs Salika opened the
workshop and told the students: “Listen and learn, the sessions will be intense
so be prepared and learn as much as you can.
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A participant at the workshop. |
"You will take part in mock court
room cross examinations, getting your facts right is important so know your
facts well to present to the court, and actively participate in discussions.”
The five-day training was facilitated by members of
the Victorian Bar (Australia), the LTI team and the Papua New Guinea Law
Society.
The 14-member Victorian Bar team that travelled to Port Moresby for
the workshop included retired President of the Supreme Court of Appeal of
Victoria, Honourable Chris Maxwell AC KC, and retired Victoria Supreme Court
Judge, Honourable Peter Riordan and 11 experienced barristers.
During the week, students engaged in a range of
activities, including interactive sessions and practical courtroom scenarios
with accomplished trainers and legal practitioners.
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LTI students with Chief Justice Sir Gibuma Salika, LTI staff, members of the Victorian Bar, members of the PNG Law Society and representatives from the Australian High Commission at the opening of the workshop. |
The experience provided
participants with invaluable insights into case analysis, evidence
presentation, effective communication, and persuasive techniques.
Vavine Sere was one such student, identifying the
practical court sessions as her main highlight.
“I learnt so much during the
practical court sessions. They gave us problems and we had to work out how we
would present in court to argue our client’s case.
"Some days we acted as the
prosecutor and some days as the defence, and we got good feedback from the
presenters so that really helped me learn.
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LTI students who attended the workshop. |
"It’s a lifelong skill that we must
perfect, and this week has been a very good start for me.”
The increased participation of women continues to
strengthen the legal profession in PNG with a greater diversity in legal
decision-making and representation.
The week also highlighted the continuing
strong relationship between LTI and the Victorian Bar with workshops being held
annually since 1990 thanks to support from the Australian Government through
the PNG- Australia Partnership.
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Students at the Legal Training Institute listening to one of the presenters from the Victorian Bar during the workshop. |
This is great however, some lawyers aren't very articulate in their presentation in Court. English being a second or third language so it's difficult to speak fluently and convince the judge or magistrate. I have had the opportunity to hear and observe a lawyer present a case before me and couldn't help but feel pity for him because he was all over the place and couldn't get the basics right. It's one thing to know the law and another thing to actually practice it. If one is to cross examine a witness, it doesn't work if you're writing everything down before questioning a witness. Because in a real trial, things always don't work the way we want it to. One has to think on his feet to question and answer if the Court queries the relevance or purpose of the question.
ReplyDeletePowerful. Come on lawyers you can do it .
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