Resources - CMC Law

Trial Advocacy

Trial Advocacy Training was first offered in Botswana in 2001 by the Black Lawyers Association of South Africa in conjunction with the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) a US based organisation. Thereafter in 2002, three senior practitioners including Ms Thuto were trained as Trial Advocacy Trainers, the intention being to provide Trial Advocacy Training to all practitioners in Botswana. Unfortunately it was not possible to commence with the training until in 2009 when an organisation called Justice Advocacy Africa (JAA) approached Ms Thuto through the University of Botswana offering the same training. From there was born a partnership between the Law Society of Botswana and JAA that saw the second Trial Advocacy Training taking place at the University of Botswana Library Auditorium. Since then more than 15 programmes have been run and Trial Advocacy has trained over 400 hundred attorneys and other professionals linked to the legal fraternity.

The Trial Advocacy Training Programme is a highly intensive course which equips lawyers with trial advocacy skills, which dynamically and dramatically change the way lawyers practice law and their approach to litigation. This it achieves by the method called “learning by doing” The course aims to teach that skilled and ethical advocacy is a critical component of legal professionalism.

Faculty members are made up of local and international lawyers (USA, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi) who volunteer their time by providing their services free of charge and in respect of the US trainers pay their own costs of travel. These members assist the Law Society of Botswana in its aim to establish its own self-sustaining Trial Advocacy Training program which is in line with its long term strategic plan of providing continuous legal education.

Our very own Pepsi Thuto is the Convener of the Continuing Legal Education Committee, under the Law Society of Botswana, which is responsible for training and development activities, both pre and post admission. Pepsi has been at the forefront of the Trial Advocacy Training program since its inception and continues to spearhead it till this day. She has undergone training in the United States of America (University of Washington School of Law and Trial Lawyers College) to fine tune her training skills.

The course usually runs over a period of 5 days, with a session around April and the second session around November. Attorneys of any age and skill level are encouraged to sign up and improve their trial advocacy skills.

For more information contact our offices to enquire on the next intake or alternatively log on to www.lawsociety.org.bw or www.nita.org.