Course

The Essential Advocate: An Introduction to Advocacy - LAWS3170

Faculty: Faculty of Law

School: Faculty of Law

Course Outline: See below

Campus: Sydney

Career: Undergraduate

Units of Credit: 6

EFTSL: 0.12500 (more info)

Indicative Contact Hours per Week: 3

Enrolment Requirements:

Pre-requisite: LEJ (LAWS1230/JURD7130) and RCD (LAWS2371/JURD7271) OR LLS (LAWS1210/JURD7110) and Lit 1 (LAWS2311/JURD7211). Co-requisite: Court Process, Evidence & Proof (LAWS2351/JURD7251) OR Litigation 2 (LAWS2321/JURD7221). Excl: JURD7418, LAWS3318

Excluded: JURD7370

CSS Contribution Charge: 3 (more info)

Tuition Fee: See Tuition Fee Schedule

Further Information: See Class Timetable

View course information for previous years.

Description

The course is a practical introduction to courtroom advocacy. Students will be exposed to examples of various types of advocates and advocacy techniques and problems found in leading cases, trial transcripts, novels, plays, films, and biographies of advocates. Much of the course is devoted to practical exercises.

Recommended Prior Knowledge

Pre-requisites are Law, Lawyers and Society; Litigation 1; Criminal Law 1. Completion of Litigation 2 and Criminal Law 2 is recommended but not required. Litigation 2 and Criminal Law 2, however, will be co-requisites for students who have not completed them.

Course Objectives

The course aims to foster an understanding of:
  • the essential attributes of great advocates
  • the role of the advocate within the trial process
  • case theory and preparation
  • the skills and techniques of the trial advocate
  • the interaction between rules of evidence and the examination of witnesses

Main Topics

The main topics to be discussed are:
  • Essential qualities and skills of advocates
  • Advocacy as the art of persuasion
  • The problems of advocacy: ethics and misconduct
  • Preparation for trial
  • Case theory
  • Evidentiary and procedural issues in practice
  • Opening and closing addresses
  • Examination-in-chief and objections
  • Cross-examination
  • The use of written and oral submissions

Assessment

  • 40% Major course project: 3000 words
  • 30% Minor course essay: 2000 words
  • 30% Practical advocacy exercises and course participation (15% CP; 15% graded oral excercise)

Course Texts

Prescribed

Mauet & McCrimmon Fundamentals of Trial Techniques

Recommended
Refer to Course Outline provided by lecturer.

Resources

Refer to Course Outline provided by lecturer.
Graduation Group

Study Levels

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