Dates

• Thursday 18 April 2024

• Tuesday 16 July 2024

• Tuesday 12 November 2024

Course outline

NB: delegates will be required to carry out some homework prior to the course, in the form of draft statement writing.

• Introductions and compliance (20 minutes): Introduction to the training and explanation of the rules for courtroom skills training (reference to Momadou & Limani).
• Experts and professional witnesses (30 minutes): We review the distinction between the two types of witnesses, and the rules and expectations for both. We will deal with how and why pressure may arise for professional witnesses to be asked to give expert evidence, and how to deal with such situations.
• The process of getting to trial (50 minutes): We take an overview of the criminal justice process. This covers how the venue for a trial is determined, how cases are listed and how the parties learn about each other’s case through disclosure, and agree evidence where possible.
• Break (20 minutes)    
• The trial process (30 minutes): Who’s who in the courtroom, etiquette, contact with counsel and some trial and courtroom terminology.
• Attitude and mindset for a good witness (30 minutes): We look at how to mentally prepare, and how to approach the job of communication in the courtroom (in overview).
• Introducing the scenarios and reviewing witness statements (30 minutes)
• Lunch break (40 minutes)  
• Individual performances (70 minutes): We ask delegates to perform a presentation about an element of their professional role, or to persuade on a different topic of their choice. We will look carefully at all the rhetorical devices of persuasion and influence displayed through these performances.
• Examination-in-chief (30 minutes): We move from these performances into a more specific review of some of the particular issues for witnesses in direct examination.
• Break  (20 minutes)     
• Cross-examination theory (40 minutes): We look at the cognitive psychology of cross-examination, including the pressures of ‘anchoring’ and ‘consistency’.
• Cross-examination practice (50 minutes): Delegates will prepare and perform sections of cross-examination for each other.

Location

Red Lion Court

City of London

London

EC4A 3EB

Fees

• £315
• Courtroom Confidence training is included within The Havens Introductory Training Course in Sexual Offence Medicine (£1,295 for five day course, plus Courtroom Confidence training)

Booking

To attend this course, please download and complete The Havens Education course booking form (pdf) and:

• email to kch-tr.havenseducation@nhs.net; or
• post it to: Training, Engagement and Awareness Raising Team, The Havens, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 9RS.