Overview
Practical skills of advocacy, with an emphasis on trial skills and procedures. Designed for law students in their final year of study.
This paper will focus on the skills required for good courtroom advocacy. It is internally assessed and includes a significant practical component.
Throughout the course of the semester, students will take part in the central aspects of the criminal jury trial process as counsel for the prosecution and/or defence.
While the content of the practical exercises will be in the area of criminal law, the skills gained will be transferable to all forms of courtroom advocacy.
Students need not have mooting or public speaking experience. Students must, however, be willing to prepare thoroughly for class, to make mistakes and learn from them, and to work collaboratively and constructively with classmates.
The process for students who want to take advocacy in 2025 is as follows.
You must apply on eVision by 1 December 2024.
Send a brief statement (no more than 300 words) to Lecturer Henry Benson-Pope by 1 December 2024. The statement should explain who you are and why you are interested in taking this course. Applicants do not necessarily need to intend on becoming a courtroom advocate upon graduating.
Should more people apply than the 16 spaces available, students will be selected on the basis of the following:
- Whether the applicant is a Finalist.
- The brief statement referred to above.
- Grade achieved in LAW 414 Law of Evidence (which is a pre-requisite).
If required a ranked waitlist will also be maintained based on the same considerations referred to above.
About this paper
| Paper title | Advocacy |
|---|---|
| Subject | Law |
| EFTS | 0.1 |
| Points | 15 points |
| Teaching period | Semester 2 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) | $774.00 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- (LAWS 314 or LAWS 414) and 66 further LAWS points
- Pre or Corequisite
- Any 200-level LAWS paper not already passed
- Limited to
- LLB, LLB(Hons)
- Notes
- (i) Not all optional papers will be available in any given year. (ii) May not be credited together with LAWS470 passed before 2007.
- Eligibility
- Enrolments for this paper are limited to 12, and it requires departmental permission.
View more information about limitations of enrolment. - Contact
- law@otago.ac.nz
- More information link
- View more information on the Faculty of Law's website
- Teaching staff
To be confirmed.
- Textbooks
- All materials provided.
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Lifelong learning, Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding, Ethics, Environmental literacy, Information literacy, Research, Self-motivation, Teamwork.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete this paper will gain understanding of the practical skills of advocacy.