DAY 1 – TRIAL ADVOCACY
A session on trial advocacy was conducted in the college so as to make the students aware about the art of advocacy in a completely different and unexplored setting. A trial advocacy is the branch of knowledge concerned with making attorneys and other advocates more effective in trial proceedings.
The session was presided over by Sushant Kareer (V Year) and Gurnoor Singh Sandhu (III Year) who have a vast and varied experience in the field of trial advocacies.
They began by giving the students a brief introduction on Trial Advocacies and how the entire system works. A trial advocacy begins with an opening statement which is a brief overview of the jurisdiction followed by the ‘Examination in Chief’, a stage in which each side questions the witnesses, probing at the basics of the case and not delving into deeper and more ‘leading questions’
They also stressed, most importantly, on the difference between forming assumptions and gaining concrete scenarios from the meager amounts of information provided; through the same a story line would be formed biased to each side.
The trial advocacy would then consist of a ‘Cross Examination’ of the witnesses by the opposing counsels. For the purpose of the cross examination, the witnesses have to be briefed thoroughly and that too is a task which has to be done in the best and the most efficient of ways.
They continued to enlighten the students with anecdotes from the past while also giving them tips on how to dodge obstacles such as ‘hostile witnesses’ and strict judges. All in all, the session was a great success.
DAY 2 – CLIENT COUNSELING
The session began with a brief up on what client counseling is and how spontaneity plays a major role in it. They went on to share their experiences and anecdotes from past client counselings, the funniest one being an unanticipated change in gender of the client while the appearances stated otherwise and the ability to twist things somewhat in their favor.
As the session went on, Shreya and Madhavi emphasized on the importance of professionalism when it comes to client counseling. What they also brought to the notice of students was how it is of paramount importance to keep your mind open to all sorts of challenges that can pounce on you. After the counseling session, there is also a post counseling session in which the advocates are questioned on the ‘how?’ ‘why?’ and ‘what?’ aspect such as, “What is to be needed from the client?”
“Why is it required?”
“How the procedure is to be carried out?” And most importantly “Why did the advocate recommend this particular path of action and not that?”
The key lies in being confident, professional and spontaneous to the very core. They also gave a brief overview of how to counter tricky clients and gain as much information as can be possible from the client so as to help yourself achieve the best results.
All in all, the session was a great success and the students learnt a lot with regards to the same as all apprehensions were dusted away and they were able to delve into a relatively newer field.
The write-up was submitted by Kainat Singh (I Year)
