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Building advocacy confidence: insights from our Civil Oral Submissions Session

Our popular Oral Submissions Masterclass for criminal law practitioners was recently followed up with an equally successful masterclass on Civil Oral Submissions. These Masterclasses are presented at an advanced level and the six attendees who sign up as presenting counsel are very experienced. This creates a unique learning environment for counsel and attendees alike.

Six participants were given the written submissions from last year's Supreme Court hearing in Beca v Wellington City Council and tasked with preparing oral arguments over the preceding weeks. 

The panel of judges and coaches – Sir Terence Arnold KNZM KC, Hon Kit Toogood KC, Michael Ring KC, Chris Gudsell KC, Les Taylor KC, Christine Meechan KC, Vanessa Bruton KC, Rachael Reed KC, Davey Salmon KC, and Nikki Pender – created a supportive and constructive environment for participants and observers.  

The feedback from both the participants and those who attended as observers was excellent, with both groups commenting positively on their learning experience and the knowledge they gained from the faculty.  

“If you ever have the chance to get involved in an NZBA advocacy masterclass, I can't recommend it enough", shared participant Polly Pope. "The quality of NZBA's training and support of the bar is consistently excellent."

Hon Kit Toogood KC praised the quality of the masterclass and its participants: 

"It was obvious to me that those who participated as counsel had understood the fundamental importance of preparation, and of having a detailed knowledge of the case, in presenting an oral argument. It was encouraging to see how much the participants benefited from the coaching they received from experienced practitioners after their first ‘appearances’. The second presentations were excellent. It was also pleasing to hear from those who attended as observers how much they had learned during the day, assisted by having read the case materials prior to the masterclass."