Increased legal advocacy  skills and confidence: a practical, hands-on workshop: 28-29 April 2016.

The Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Legal Service (QLD) Ltd gathered its statewide team of 37 Family, Child Protection, Civil Law legal practitioners and paralegals for its inaugural advocacy skills development program in Brisbane with resounding positive feedback.

Workshop leaders included Queensland University of Technology Law Lecturer, Craig Smith, and Barrister presentation specialist, Jane FitzGerald, with workshop guidance training from Professional Development specialist, Margaret Voight.  This team provided customised advocacy coaching for our growing workforce.

Supporting Barristers-at-Law provided guidance to each ATSILS staff member in small teams relating to core case planning and theory. Simone Fraser, Rebecca Harding, Karen Oakley, Kila Pedder, Johnny Selfridge and Jason Voight added significant spirit and expertise to ATSILS for this innovative event. It’s a first in Australia for learning with mixed skills-level teams. ATSILS staff confirmed it certainly enabled accelerated learning with steady feedback both using film and in-person feedback techniques.

Aims of this program:

• increase legal practitioner and paralegals’ understanding of how to better prepare for court appearances;
• develop the skills for effective court advocacy, and
• build confidence as a professional advocate.

With staff from our Brisbane and Ipswich offices stepping in as Witness/Clients, and our Mentor Barristers acting in a variety of roles, (ie. judges, expert witnesses), the workshop gave new insight to the inexperienced and sharpened the skills of those who have years of advocacy experience.

The ATSILS network of legal practitioners grew with a sense of celebration after four days away from their normal duties and refined skills to utilise on their return home to our 20+ offices across Queensland.

This 2016 learning and development project forms part of the emerging ATSILS Workforce Development Cultural Plan offered exclusively to ATSILS Qld employees.

View workshop flyer here > ATSILS Advocacy Workshop Flyer Fam Civil 2016