Overview

Although Candidate Attorneys receive their rights to appear after serving a period of their articles, they do not know how to conduct themselves in court. Court appearances are daunting because they deal with their principal attorney’s clients and cannot make mistakes. They are often left in court without knowing what to do, where to go, and what to say. This lack of knowledge can prejudice clients’ matters and inevitably lead to ignorant mistakes.

Join Adv. Lisa Thomas on the 18th of April 2023 from 10:00am - 12:00pm  as she provides you with the do’s and don'ts of your very first court appearance as a candidate attorney. Learn how prior preparation and good etiquette can make your first court experience memorable for the right reasons!

Learning objectives

By the end of this webinar the attendee should know:

• The importance of communicating with the client and principal attorney before the appearance
• How to prepare for an emergency at court
• How to ensure that the client’s file is prepared for the appearance
• How to ensure that the client is prepared for the appearance
• What is required of their appearance (outcome)

Content

The webinar will cover the following topics:

• Identifying the courtroom and presiding officer
• Client’s file (reading & preparing documents for court)
• Client preparation (if appearing at court)
• Client’s mandate/principal’s instructions
• Outcome required
• Adjournments/emergencies

About the presenter:

Lisa Thomas is a former Criminal defence advocate and in-house counsel in Durban, Lisa has seen the law practice from both sides. She graduated with her LLB, completed her pupillage, and was admitted as an advocate in 2008. Her current area of interest is in alternative dispute resolution, specifically mediation. She is a maverick for humanity and ethics within the legal profession in South Africa with a focus on candidate attorneys

Who should attend?

Candidate attorneys

Law Students

Pupil Advocates

Paralegals

Young/Junior legal practitioners 

Price

R100 per person

For those of you who are unable to attend the live webinar, the recording will be made available to you shortly after the event.

Additional material

By attending this webinar you will be provided with:

• A summarised slide presentation.
• Reference documents and/or course material where available.
• You can ask questions during the webinar and you will also have access to the presenter after the webinar.