| Fadley Faisal |
THE Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) recently organised an Advocacy Training Course, aimed at increasing advocacy skills and standards amongst its officers who conduct litigation as their core work. The course took place at the Law and Courts Building from May 27-29, 2016.
This year’s course builds upon the foundations set from last year’s Advocacy Teachers Trainers Course held from August 21-23, 2015, where nine trainers from the Attorney General’s Chambers received training to be certified to teach advocacy.
The course was jointly organised by the Criminal Justice Division of the Attorney General’s Chambers with the assistance of the International Advocacy Training Council (IATC), based in Hong Kong.
This year’s course saw five local trainers, Aldila binti Haji Mohd Salleh, Norhayati binti Dato Paduka Haji Omar, Pengiran Suzana binti Pengiran Haji Abas, Shamshuddin bin Haji Kamaluddin and Karen Tan Chai Mei collaborate with Anesta Weekes QC, Vice Chair of the Advocacy Training Council of England and Wales, Recorder and Queens Counsel at 33 Bedford Row, London, United Kingdom; and Fahri Azzat of Fahri & Co and Committee Member of the Malaysian Bar Council Advocacy Committee to deliver the course which focused on case preparation, case analysis, skills in questioning witnesses and accused persons and submissions advocacy.
Some 26 officers from the Criminal Justice Division and the Civil Division of the Chambers participated in the course, which saw participants taught using the ‘Hampel Method’, a renowned advocacy teaching technique. Mock trials were also conducted which involved trainers providing constructive critique to the participant advocates on their performance in the practical aspects of the trial process.
Group photo shows Datin Seri Paduka Hajah Hayati binti Pehin Orang Kaya Shahbandar Dato Seri Paduka Haji Mohd Salleh, Attorney General and Public Prosecutor, Anesta Weekes QC, Vice Chair of the Advocacy Training Council of England and Wales, Recorder and Queens Counsel at 33 Bedford Row, London, United Kingdom and Fahri Azzat of Fahri & Co and Committee Member of the Malaysian Bar Council Advocacy Committee together with local trainers and participants from the Attorney General’s Chambers. – AGC
Technology was also incorporated into the review process through the use of video recordings of the advocates’ performances, which allow trainers to better identify areas of improvement that can be made in the advocate’s court technique. This year’s course also included additional components on submission advocacy in light of the recent amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code, Chapter 7 which now allow prosecutors in the jurisdiction to deliver submissions with regards to sentencing.
In a press release, the AGC said the holding of the workshop signified the Attorney General’s Chambers’ commitment to provide adequate training to develop expertise amongst its officers and is the product of successful networking by officers of the Attorney General’s Chambers with foreign counterparts and contacts established during various international conferences and training workshops.
The course also realised the Attorney General’s Chambers Strategic Vision, which emphasises on Human Capacity Building, aimed to better enable the delivery of legal services at the highest quality to His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and to His Majesty’s Government.
The post AGC officers complete Advocacy Training Course appeared first on Borneo Bulletin Online.