Winning Advocacy Skills Workshop 2025 (Victoria)







Product Type: Course

Session 1
Format
Courses - In-Person
Start Date & Time
2025-06-27 9:00 AM
End Date & Time
2025-06-28 5:00 PM
Location
University of Victoria




DescriptionMore Detail

You. On your feet. In a real courtroom. In front of real judges.

Friday, June 27, and Saturday, June 28, 2025
8:30 am – 5:00 pm (both days)
University of Victoria, Faculty of Law, Fraser Building, Victoria

Space is limited—reserve your seat today!

Please note: This course will not be added to Courses on Demand. Courses involving professional speakers and skills-based workshops generally do not get added to Courses on Demand.

Who should attend: Civil and criminal litigators at all levels with some courtroom experience who want to enhance their courtroom skills and confidence

Learning level: Intermediate

Have you ever wanted to receive honest, personalized feedback from senior counsel and judges to take your advocacy skills to the next level? This is your chance to practice on your feet in a real courtroom.

Unlike any other course offered at CLEBC, senior colleagues of the bench and the bar will provide you with the ultimate mentoring experience by helping you elevate your advocacy skills in a relaxed, safe environment in this three-day workshop. Within a practical and hands-on framework, refine your skills and learn how to influence the people who matter at trial with this rare chance to experiment and make mistakes without cost to your client or reputation. 

Over the course of two days, you will:

  • work through a civil mixed with criminal trial fact pattern and case materials by completing advocacy performance exercises in a small group led by a senior litigator team leader
  • experience the intellectual, ethical, emotional, and physical demands of trial by performing multiple and repeated direct examination, cross-examination, opening, and closing exercises in a mock courtroom setting
  • receive real-time critique regarding each of your performance exercises from team leaders and guest instructors
  • have a lifetime opportunity to be video-recorded for two of your performance exercises
  • receive individual attention and personalized, constructive feedback during one-on-one sessions with a senior member of the bench or bar who will review your video-recorded performances together with you
  • watch live demonstrations of proper trial advocacy skills performed by experienced faculty  
  • act as a witness for other student performances to understand the witness experience at trial
  • have the opportunity to understand the perspective from the bench
  • dramatically improve your craft in a short time! 

Past participants say:

"Fantastic. I was very impressed with both the amount of time senior members of the bar and bench dedicated to the course and to providing individual attention and constructive feedback. I improved and developed my skills and I left feeling far more confident about my abilities as a litigator."

"Excellent! As a 'hands-on learner,' I take away so much from doing and seeing rather than just listening. This was the perfect environment to experiment and try new things."

"There are things you'll learn in this course that even 10 years of trial experience won't give you."

Law Society of BC CPD Hours: 14 hours (this course will contain a minimum of 2 hours pertaining to professional responsibility and ethics, client care and relations, and/or practice management)

Course Chairs
The Honourable Justice Catherine A. Murray — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
Andrew I. Nathanson, KC — Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Vancouver

Pricing
EARLY BIRD 
Register by May 30/25
Regular Price
After May 30/25
In-person $1,319 $1,479

Are you a member of the Indigenous legal community (lawyer/Articled Student/legal support staff/paralegal) or a non-lawyer Indigenous community member?
We value your contributions and encourage your participation in all of our programs. To increase accessibility, we offer a 50% discount* to all Indigenous lawyers/Articled Students/legal support staff/paralegals and a limited number of free online registrations to non-lawyer Indigenous community members (*discount applies to Regular prices, not Early Bird prices). Please contact Customer Service to find out more.

Unable to attend a course without financial assistance from CLEBC?
Click here for bursary information.

Want to register for a course now, but prefer a monthly payment plan?
Check out our Easy Pay Plan

Registration includes a print and electronic copy of the workshop materials as well as a copy of the highly valued CLEBC book, Civil Trial Handbook — Seventh Edition for FREE!

Lunch is included (both days).

CLEBC Program Lawyer*
Genevieve Chang
gchang@cle.bc.ca
*non-practising