A group of important law firms sent delegates on CPD Training's Higher Rights programme which was held in October.

O'Melveny and Myers, Byrne and Partners, Skadden Arps and SNR Denton sent delegates for the three days of training. The delegates then completed the assessment day on the 28th October.

The assessment day comprises a 90 minute written examination and three court appearances. All performances are assessed by an independent judge.

David Herlihy of Skadden Arps said the trainer provided an excellent service offering "Great personal attention and clear relevant instructions."

Margarita Michael of O'Melveny and Myers said the training was faultless.

CPD Training conducted a busy training programme in Belfast recently.

Two one-day courses on negotiation were presented for the Law Society. Forty-five lawyers attended. Peter Lyons then delivered a three-hour exercise on electronic disclosure. It was presented in conjunction with Price Waterhouse Coopers for Queens University.

Fiona Donnelly, who organised the seminar for the Institute of Professional Legal Studies described it as a great success and said that the feedback had been very positive.

The National Institute for Trial Advocacy held its annual training boot camp in the mid-west this October. It was attended by Peter Lyons of CPD Training who was one of the 4 course leaders.

This was Peter’s seventh consecutive visit to Indianapolis.

“There is a great atmosphere on the Indy programme,” he said.

 “The team of trainers led by Judge Nancy Vaidik all really enjoyed working with each other,” he said.

 “The delegates are invariably hard-working and enthusiastic. People come from all over the United States. There were 50 delegates on the week long course including a lawyer from Skadden Arps arbitration practice in Singapore.”

CPD Training recently delivered a Training the Trainers course in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, for the State's Law Society.

The course was presented to senior legal practitioners who wish to play significant roles in the Law Society's new compulsory training regime

The head of the CPD Committee, barrister Greg Geason described the course as "Most rewarding".

"Peter Lyons took us through a number of valuable techniques which we can use to present interactive and educational training courses for the legal profession in Tasmania," he said.

"We hope to conduct more Training the Trainer courses in 2012."

Peter Lyons made his annual pilgrimage to Belfast for the week-long Advanced Advocacy Programme run by the Law Society of Northern Ireland.

The course employs renowned faculty form the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) in the United States and is organised with breathtaking efficiency by Fiona Donnelly and her team.

“I met some outstanding teachers,” said Lyons. “Rich Schoenberg and Gene Tanaka came from California, Mike and Joanne Roake from New Mexico, Maria Danaher from Pittsburgh and Judge Mark Drummond flew in at the last minute from Illinois.”

“They are all distinguished trial lawyers but they were great fun too. Mike Roake’s stories of his time in the military and his recent trips to train lawyers in Azerbaijan and Syria were fascinating,” said Lyons.

“But Mark Drummond is one of the funniest raconteurs I have ever met. I would describe him as the American Alan Bennett.”

CPD Training received a number of emails from the delegates after the course. Oisin Toner of Gus Campbell Solicitors in Armagh wrote:

“"I wish to express my thanks to all the help and encouragement that you gave to me throughout his past week. Last Monday I was well outside my comfort zone and felt like bailing out – a simple PI course with a nice lunch would do for me. However, by Friday I had began to warm to the task and that was in no small part due to the encouragement, guidance and motivation provided by you. Many thanks for all you help."

The course attracted 50 delegates with different legal background and levels of experience.

The involvement of local practitioners is crucial to the success of the programme.

“They are a pleasure to teach with” said Lyons. “And their hospitality is outstanding. Local legend Stephen Scott is a mean guitar player but he doesn’t know a great deal about rugby.”

CPD Training has announced a joint venture in Electronic Learning Programmes with the renowned Australian company Integrum.

The plan is to produce a series of one hour training courses which busy lawyers can complete in their own time. The system will combine CPD Training’s course materials and style of delivery with Integrum’s award-winning software.

Integrum has been involved in the learning management business for the past 15 years. It works throughout the world in over 30 countries with many important organisations such as Coca Cola, General Motors, the Westfield Group, Jetstar and the NHS in the UK.

Integrum produces risk and compliance software and has over 60,000 licensed users of its products. Its software was recently named as one of the 100 most innovative products in Australia.

Peter Lyons of CPD Training said it was an exciting development for both companies.

“I find that lawyers are increasingly pressed for time and leave their training to the last minute. By putting our courses online, we can make them more accessible. Of course, nothing matches the efficacy of face-to-face training but we will ensure the delegates who sign on get as much feedback as possible.”

The CEO of Integrum, Beven Schwaiger, said the joint venture was a great idea. “We are an IBM advanced business partner and our company’s business is growing rapidly, particularly in the South-East Asian corridor.”

“CPD Training’s innovative approach to education and training is transferrable to online learning. The test programmes we have in production are outstanding and we hope to be putting the courses online very soon.”

Belfast lawyer Mark Haugh is the first recipient of the Daniel Simons Scholarship in Advocacy.

The scholarship, which was launched with the blessing of Daniel Simons’ widow and children, enables a promising young advocate to pursue a course of training and assessment in Higher Rights of Audience.

Mark Haugh, 23, won the CPD Training scholarship after taking part in a Closing Speech competition hosted by the Institute of Legal Studies of Queen’s University Belfast.

The competition, which attracted 116 trainee solicitors, assessed the ability of the contestants to identify the key issues in a case and to present them with authority, persuasion and voice control.

The judge, Mr Patrick Kinney, who is Chairman of Northern Ireland’s Industrial and Fair Employment Tribunals, awarded the Owen Catchpole prize to Mark Haugh.

Peter Lyons from CPD Training had met Mark some months before when teaching in Belfast. He had been impressed by the extent of Mark’s preparation and delivery.

Mark Haugh said he was absolutely thrilled to accept the scholarship and looked forward to completing the Higher Rights course. “I look forward to learning as much as I can about the intriguing art of advocacy”.

The Daniel Simons Scholarship will be awarded by CPD Training each year to a student of outstanding potential in advocacy. It commemorates Professor Simons, a former member of CPD Training’s faculty, who passed away in March 2010 and who was a legendary teacher of advocacy skills.

Central Law Training, CLT, which is responsible for training and accrediting thousands of legal professionals each year, will recommend CPD Training (UK) for the Higher Rights training and assessment of CLT’s clients.

The exclusive deal, which will concentrate on the civil qualification at first, has come about because Central Law Training and CPD Training are receiving a large number of enquiries about the SRA’s advocacy qualification.

Jeanette Lucy, the head of the Professional Qualification and Accreditation Division at CLT said it was an obvious arrangement to come to.

“CPD Training (UK) runs top-quality training courses and advocacy is their specialty,” she said.

“They have been getting tremendous feedback from their clients.”

“CPD will not compromise in applying the SRA’s standards. Those that take the training and pass the assessment will gain a valuable qualification as solicitor advocates.”

Peter Lyons, of CPD Training said the arrangement would make Higher Rights more accessible to practitioners.

“CLT have a great reputation and excellent facilities. I was struck by the number of enquiries we were getting. Up till now we have only been able to offer training and assessment in-house,” he said.

“Accessibility does not necessarily mean that those enrolling will pass the assessment. In addition, as an approved assessor, our procedures are independent of CLT. The SRA has set high standards,” he said.

“The courts rightly expect that solicitor advocates appearing before them are skilful and ethical. Our training and assessment scheme endeavours to bring this about.”

Anyone interested in enrolling on the programme should contact CLT on 0121 362 7526.

CPD Training's Higher Rights and Assessment Scheme has won glowing reviews from two City firms.

Tracey Petter, the Director of Litigation Services at SNR Denton UK, said her firm had looked at a range of providers before making its decision.

"CPD Training offered a 3 day course, shorter than some other trainers" she said, "but [we] were satisfied that this was not at the expense either of the quality of the training or its comprehensiveness."

"The feedback from all our delegates was very positive," she said.

"CPD Training dealt with the issues involved in setting up the course and assessments (including accommodating special needs where required) with the minimum possible fuss."

Joshua Fineman from Devonshires said "CPD Training provided all the materials I needed, and made sure I understood what the whole assessment experience would entail."

"They also ensured that the training provided was interesting, and thanks to a fantastic individual teaching style, fun. I had a great time over the whole of the 3 day course."

Chris Taylor of CPD Training delivered his practical course on search orders and freezing injunctions to Midlands firm Harvey Ingram this week. This is a complex area of law and procedure where acting quickly is crucial. Solicitors have little time to research and learn about the subject once they have been instructed. The course takes delegates step-by-step through each stage of a case, from analysis of causes of action and preparation of the application through to execution of the orders and next steps.

The delegates, ranging from newly qualified solicitors to over 30 years PQE, found the course extremely helpful. One commented that “it was a combination of sound legal and useful practical advice”. Others called it “thorough, comprehensive and practical”.

High profile Birmingham Mercantile judge, Simon Brown QC has been appointed to head CPD Training’s Higher Rights learning and assessment programmes.

Judge Brown is a crusading supporter of the use of information technology in the courts and devised and developed the universally used website for all mercantile courts http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/cms/mercantile.htm.

He regularly speaks on electronic disclosure and case management and is a guest on judicial panels in the UK, America and Australia.

Judge Brown spoke to us at the time of his appointment.

CPD Training: “Why did you agree to head our Higher Rights Assessment Board?”

Judge Brown: “Well I’m a passionate believer that it is the quality of advocacy that counts in any court.”

CPD Training: “Why?”

Judge Brown: “Because there is no doubt that the odds on a good result are considerably improved by effective advocacy. Conversely the lack of preparation and poor knowledge of the law or the rules of procedure are likely to result in adverse costs orders being made.”

CPD Training: “Higher Rights of Audience assessments are for solicitors and you were a barrister. Do you see any conflict?”

Judge Brown: “As a judge I am interested in making the right decision. The training of top quality advocates, barristers or solicitors, is crucial in bringing that about.”

CPD Training: “What got you interested in advocacy?”

Judge Brown: “As a boy, I always wanted to be an advocate.  I was inspired by watching ‘Perry Mason’ on TV starring Raymond Burr and reading “Six Great Advocates” (Thomas Erskine, Sir Edward Clarke, Sir Charles Russell, Sir Rufus Isaacs, Sir Edward Marshall Hall and Sir Patrick Hastings) by Lord Birkenhead (F.E. Smith).  

Later, I devoured trial reports such as the Trials of Oscar Wilde by H. Montgomery Hyde and numerous legal biographies about great advocates and actual trials, such as that of Doctor Palmer the notorious 19^th century Rugeley Poisoner.”

CPD Training: “Did you have any heroes?”

Judge Brown: “Oh, definitely Sir Roy Beldam, who many believed was the finest advocate of his generation. He was a superb cross-examiner. He boxed the witness in with a series of closed questions and then concluded with a few open questions which were either unanswerable or made the witness’s position very difficult.”

CPD Training: What sort of work did you do as a barrister?”

Judge Brown: “I practised for 19 years as a junior barrister in London, conducting a whole range of cases. In criminal work, I appeared in murder trials and large criminal fraud trials, including the prosecution on behalf of the City of London without a leader at Old Bailey of 25 persons for the largest cheque fraud in the UK.

On the civil side I dealt with professional negligence, construction, family, landlord & tenant, planning, judicial review, and insurance before all levels and types of courts and tribunals, includiing the Law Lords sitting in the full Chamber of the House of Lords upon a Scottish appeal!”

CPD Training: “When did you take silk?”

Judge Brown: “I became Queen’s Counsel in 1995. I practised as a London commercial and common law silk for 11 years, appearing as an advocate for both claimants and defendants. I practised mainly in the many areas of insurance claims.

Many of my cases such as Capital & Counties Plc v Hampshire County Council, concerning the liability of the fire brigade and Arab Bank v Zurich, concerning fraudulent non disclosure of company directors, are leading cases.

I also acted as an accredited arbitrator and mediator in complex disputes. I conducted two large public parliamentary boundary inquiries reporting to the Boundary Commission with senior politicians giving evidence and appearing, including the then Leader of HM's Opposition and Ann Widdecombe.”

CPD Training: “What sort of cases do you hear as a Mercantile Judge?”

Judge Brown: “Many of my judgments involve complex areas of law such as pensions, tax, professional negligence, consumer credit, companies, data protection and employment.

I ‘actively’ case manage all my cases and try all those unresolved before trial. I strive to keep my court at the cutting edge of the electronic age and all modern efficient practice, making it the best forum for business litigation.”

CPD Training: “What do you hope to bring to our Higher Rights training and assessment?”

Judge Brown: “I want to help ensure that the high quality of teaching is maintained and that solicitor advocates practise skilful and ethical advocacy in our courts. It is in everyone’s interests.”  

CPD Training's first Higher Rights of Audience training course has just been run in London and earned a clean sweep of "Excellent" ratings from those who attended.

Delegates described the 3 day course variously as "very thorough with good materials" and "a good balance of teaching with practical advocacy exercises".

One attendee, a partner with 26 years' experience, described the trainer Peter Lyons as interesting and informative and said the course was run at a good pace.

Another delegate agreed, saying the trainer had "consistently provided constructive feedback" and had ensured that the course "was lively and enjoyable".

Peter Lyons has recently returned from teaching for the Institute of Legal Practice in Belfast. The course on advocacy skills took place over 4 days at Queen's University.

There were 120 students on the programme which is similar to the Legal Practice Course in England and Wales.

Students on the course, unlike their English counterparts, are already at work in law firms. In fact, no-one is allowed to attend the training unless they have employment in the law.

It is a much fairer system than the one in England where hundreds of young people finish the Legal Practice Course thousands of pounds in debt and with no prospect of a training contract.

Stephen Dixon and Peter Lyons attended the annual conference of the Motor Accident Solicitors Society which was held in Manchester recently.

The conference, which attracted over 300 delegates, included a spirited panel discussion on Alternative Business Structures (Consumer Heaven or Hell?) which was chaired by Professor Stephen Mason of the Legal Services Institute.

Peter Lyons and Craig Budsworth, a partner at Glaisyers Solicitors LLP and a member of the MASS Management Committee, delivered a session entitled “Credit Hire – Learning the MASS Training Way”.

MASS Training runs a successful Diploma in Personal Injury and Accident Management, and draws on CPD Training’s course design techniques and training methods to deliver the Diploma.

Donna Scully, the new chair of MASS was very enthusiastic saying, "MASS Training, thanks to Peter Lyons and the MASS training team has been revolutionised and is totally practical and interactive now."

"You will struggle to find better training techniques anywhere else.  The evaluation sheets we see after MASS courses all say things like:

'You actually "learn" from the courses; they are "interesting" and "value for money".'

"I can tell you first-hand how good MASS training is because we use it a lot at Carpenters, my firm.  We have put 22 members of staff through the MASS Diploma and we attend external and run in-house MASS courses too.

"The feedback from our staff is very positive. They really enjoy the courses but on top of all that, they gain valuable legal qualifications that can put them on the road to promotion and a successful legal career."

"I could not recommend MASS training more highly."

Lorraine Richardson, who has been appointed CPD Training’s Head of Quality Assurance, was delighted with the news that the SRA has awarded the company Higher Rights Assessment status.

“It was a great day when I heard of their decision,” she said.

“We put an enormous amount of work into the application.”

Lorraine, who is a practising solicitor in Suffolk, has a vast amount of experience in legal education and training. She has held senior positions at the Institute of Legal Executives (ILEX), the College of law and BPP Law School.

She set up the Land Registry Qualification at ILEX and managed its transition to the College of Law. At the College, Lorraine was also in charge of the academic and assessment procedures of the Higher Rights of Audience programmes.

At present, Lorraine is an external examiner for the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test at Central Law Training.

Though she is happy that CPD Training can now deliver Higher Rights Assessments, she is under no illusions about the task ahead.

“There is much to be done and I am greatly looking forward to it. Now is the time to get down to business,” she said.

The SRA has authorised CPD Training to deliver Higher Rights of Audience Assessments to Solicitors. See http://www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/accreditation/hra-course-assessment-providers.page

The assessment scheme, which came into force this year, enables solicitors to appear in the High Court and above as long as they pass the assessment.

Although training and experience are no longer necessary requirements for qualification, CPD’s Peter Lyons believes proper training is essential.

“Advocates in the Higher Courts have a special duty to assist the judge,” he says.

“We will be delivering high-quality and intensive training which far exceeds the standards laid down by the SRA.”

“The aim of our training and assessment procedure is to produce ethical High Court advocates who are assured, polished, ethical and articulate.”

CPD’s achievement in being awarded assessment status is all the more remarkable because the other Higher Rights providers are all large organisations.

But Peter Lyons believes that CPD’s size will work in its clients’ favour.

“Not only are we more cost-effective, but we can move more nimbly to meet the needs of the law firms,” he said.

“In the end it is quality that our clients want. We want our solicitor advocates to be true officers of the court: able to assist with the proper administration of justice and to represent their clients with skill and courage.”

Law firms interested in Higher Rights should email Peter Lyons at peter.lyons@cpdtraining.net

Electronic Disclosure is the hot ticket in England and Wales at the moment. We are getting a lot of demand for courses since the law changed on the 1st of October.

Some firms take the 2 hour course but others have sent their people on the day-long course. We ran that course twice for Gordons who found it to be very helpful.

The course, which was written with the help of leading members of the judiciary was also delivered nationwide to DLA Piper and to members of the Bench.

Peter Lyons has recently made his annual pilgrimages to Belfast and Indianapolis to teach advocacy.

“Belfast was great,” he said. “The Advocacy Committee of the Law Society managed to recruit over 40 delegates, which in these recessionary times, is outstanding.”

“There were some great trainers there including Jay Hunt and his wife Carey Bricker from Sacramento; Jean Jourdain from Indiana; Mary Jo Barr from San Diego and Dan Toomey from Washington.”

“Fiona Donnelly who led the programme for the first time was a marvellous host and ran the programme with jovial efficiency,” he said.

The 6 day Indianapolis program was also well-attended. Peter was again the guest of Judge Nancy Vaidik of the Court of Appeals of Indiana.

“It was quite intensive,” he said. “Her Honour managed to empanel over 20 volunteer jurors. The great thing was that after they gave their verdicts on the last day of the course they told the attorneys what things had impressed them and what had not. It was an incredible opportunity to learn.”

Peter also said he had been roped in by Judge Vaidik to play a witness in one of the trials. His performance did not find favour with the jury. Said one, “That Australian guy was a terrible actor.”

The PSC Advocacy and Communications Skills course run by CPD Training continues to win rave reviews from the delegates who attend.

One delegate who attended the programme at Dickinson Dees LLP in September said “It was brilliant from start to finish. I don’t think anyone has ever made me pay so much attention for so long, made me laugh so much and taught me as much in such a short space of time.”

The 3 day course employs a civil case study and an upgraded white-collar crime case.

A group of leading law firms send their trainees on the course each year. They include Berwin Leighton Paisner, Hill Dickinson, Mayer Brown, SJ Berwin, Dechert and of course the outstanding northern law firm Dickinson Dees LLP.

Dickinson Dees has been hiring Peter Lyons for the course twice a year for the last 10 years.

Another September delegate said “The content was very interesting and was presented in such a way as to allow us to practise what was being described.”

Another said the trainer managed to “combine praise with constructive criticism” and to give “very helpful comments.”

CPD Training is offering a specialist individual service to any advocates who are preparing for an appearance in court; whether it is a trial or a hearing or submission of law. We also provide one-to-one coaching to anyone who simply wants to refresh their advocacy skills.

We will not give you advice about the merits of your case or suggestions about tactics but we will look at your style and method of presentation.

We can help you with the preparation of your submissions to make sure that they are succinct, clear and persuasive. We can coach you to deliver them with skill. We can also help you with your questioning techniques, in particular, your approach to cross-examination.

This is a confidential service which is designed to give you frank, independent but positive advice about your advocacy performance.

We have a team of expert trial lawyers and teachers ready to help you.

Please contact Peter Lyons at peter.lyons@cpdtraining.net.

There have been some very important decisions on electronic disclosure recently which have served as a warning for civil litigators.

In Earles v Barclays Bank the winning party suffered a 25% penalty in costs for not carrying out a search to the satisfaction of the court.

In Digicel v Cable & Wireless a party which did not carry out a proper electronic search was ordered to embark on another expensive one.

There have also been attempts by the judges to limit the boundaries of electronic searches and courts have been coming down hard on parties who attempt to destroy evidence.

Many clients and practitioners are fearful of electronic disclosure because of their unfamiliarity with technology.

CPD Training can provide informative, interactive training to allay those fears. Our courses draw upon recent decisions and warnings from the bench and present practical and helpful solutions for the busy litigator.

We are sad to report the death of Professor Daniel Simons, who passed away on the 27th March 2010.

Dan, who was 52, was one of the best professional development trainers in the world and was retained for many years by a number of major law firms including DLA Piper and Clifford Chance.

He was an esteemed and well-loved member of the CPD Training team and his loss has been keenly felt.

Our sympathies go to Dan's wife Kay; their sons Zack and Asher and Dan and Kay's extended family in the UK and the USA.

Peter Lyons celebrates the life of Daniel Simons

Stephen Dixon, a York businessman, has been retained by CPD Training as its Business Development Manager.

Stephen is involved in several businesses which operate IT support, website design and internet advertising. He has been working in sales and commerce for a number of years and has considerable experience of trading in a number of different products.

Stephen (pictured), who speaks several languages, is keen to develop CPD Training’s growing international training portfolio. He said his appointment has come at the right time because the UK training market was clearly pulling out of the recession.

“A lot of law firms aren’t aware that we can give them top-quality training at a much more affordable price”, he said.

If you would like to meet Stephen and discuss training for your firm, he may be contacted at stephen.dixon@cpdtraining.net or +44 (0) 7595 351866. Please visit our Sales and Marketing page for further information.

Highly-regarded international law firm CMS Cameron McKenna continued its commitment to quality Dispute Resolution training when its Academy convened in Brussels for 2 days at the end of January.

The course was attended by over 46 practitioners who came from places as diverse as Zurich, Kyiv, London, Stuttgart, Hamburg and Rome.

The delegates spent a morning analysing a complex commercial dispute. Then they were introduced to a range of negotiation techniques which they were then encouraged to employ on a series of case studies.

The course, which was very intensive, was led by Professor Peter Lyons and Judge Nancy Vaidik.

One delegate said the course had exceeded his expectations. “”I appreciated the fact that all theoretical issues were then put to the test in a practice session. I now have the tools to be a better lawyer.”

Another delegate said the teaching had been enthusiastic and that she had been given very useful tools.

“There [were] interesting and varied case studies and a good mixture [of] teaching, talking and pro-active participation.”

Preparations for the course were smoothly and efficiently organised by Ilan Hanohov, the CMS Head of Business Development and his team who are based in Frankfurt.

Guy Pendell (pictured), the Head of CMS Practice Area Group said, “CPD Training has delivered another excellent dispute resolution training event for our disputes lawyers across Europe.”

Peter Lyons was invited by the Northern Ireland Law Society’s new Head of Advocacy, Fiona Donnelly, to teach in Belfast in the third week of January.

He delivered a course on “Giving Effective Video Critiques” to a group of committed and enthusiastic practitioners who themselves provide training for Belfast advocacy programmes.

Peter also spent 4 afternoons with Ms Donnelly (pictured) and other teachers giving lessons on Case Analysis, Examination-in Chief and Cross-Examination.

He delivered the main presentations to a class of 126 trainee solicitors for the Institute of Professional Legal Studies at Queen’s University, Belfast.

“It was pretty tough delivering 4 sessions to a group of 126 students in an interactive way. I’m more used to groups of 8,” said Peter, “but Fiona helped me tremendously.”

“It also made it easier that the delegates were as committed and keen to learn as these were.”

“The Northern Ireland programme is much more intensive and educational than advocacy courses for young solicitors at similar levels in England,” he said.

“They really invest a lot of time and effort into teaching their students and it pays off with increased levels of confidence and analytical skills.”

Leading national law firm Thompsons has been developing the advocacy and presentation skills of its members this year.

The firm, which has the largest union client base in the country and over 1,000 employees, engaged CPD Training to run one day courses on Interim Advocacy, Effective Presenting and Delivering Client Seminars.

The courses have taken place in London, Manchester, Leeds and Bristol.

Those attending have described the training as excellent. One delegate in London described his course as “interesting and engaging with lots of useful exercises”.

Another solicitor in Manchester said the course was really well-presented. “The trainer had a different style” she said.

“It was not the normal ‘sit around a table and listen’ approach. It was interactive and engaging.”

Another delegate in Leeds said she found the Interim Advocacy course was “very informative” and “gave her the confidence to practise [her] advocacy”.

CPD Training’s first PSC City Advocacy course got off to a flying start in October.

Delivered at Mayer Brown’s state-of-the art premises in London, the course was an intensive 3 day programme in Communication Skills, Case Analysis, Witness Handling and Trial Advocacy.

One of the many happy delegates described the course as “the best training I have been on during my training contract”.

The course was run for four leading law firms: Berwin Leighton Paisner, Dechert, SJ Berwin and Mayer Brown which are affectionately known as the Quadrant Group.

The style of teaching attracted some warm comments. The trainer was "excellent and very enthusiastic" and "gave constructive criticism but in a really positive way".

CPD Training’s Peter Lyons was invited to attend the annual advocacy programme at the Indiana Law School in October.

Peter was one of 4 team leaders who delivered the course. The others were legendary Indiana advocate Tom Singer, Judge Jane Magnus Stinson and the simple country lawyer, Bob Stein.

The programme, which began on a Sunday afternoon and ended on the following Friday, was attended by 35 delegates and was led by Judge Nancy Vaidik of the Indiana Court of Appeals.

Judge Vaidik delivered her famous lecture on exhibits and told the story of a trial for nuisance against the owners of a particularly offensive chicken farm. As a demonstrative exhibit, Her Honor produced an elegant, 12 inch high and very expensive porcelain chicken.

During the week Peter Lyons was Judge Vaidik's guest at an exclusive cocktail party held for former US Vice President Dan Quayle.

Judge Vaidik and Professor Lyons at the reception for Dan Quayle

Four prestigious City law firms have awarded a substantial slice of their PSC Advocacy training to CPD Training.

SJ Berwin, Mayer Brown, Dechert and Berwin Leighton Paisner clubbed together to hear tenders for the Advocacy and Communication Skills element of the Professional Skills Course.

CPD’s Peter Lyons said he had been told by the firms that CPD’s approach had been tailored to meet their business needs.

“Chris Taylor and I wrote commercial case studies which we will use as a vehicle to teach the important advocacy skills such as Interim Advocacy and Cross-examination.”

“It is a course which builds confidence” he said.

“The City firms have shown a willingness to break away from the big training providers if the product suits their needs.”

The training is due to commence in London this autumn.

CMS Cameron McKenna held an intensive 2 day CPD Training course in Vienna recently to launch its Arbitration Academy.

CMS, which has 54 offices in Central and Western Europe, sent 36 delegates on the 2 day course.

The training team, provided by CPD Training, was led by Peter Lyons. It included two of the most experienced advocacy teachers in America, Judge Nancy Vaidik from Indiana and Bob Stein from New Hampshire as well as Peter Wood, an arbitration partner from Australia’s biggest law firm, Minter Ellison.

The launch of the CMS Arbitration Academy coincided with the publication of an impressive new book edited by Dr Torsten Lörcher and Yannis Mavrogordato entitled The CMS Guide to Arbitration.

The book is a collection of contributions from 30 countries and is intended for use as a practice guide in those places.

The delegates who ranged from partners to associates worked with a complicated arbitration case study about a mine in Romania. The international flavour was enhanced by the fact that delegates came from a variety of countries including Brazil, Austria and Switzerland.

Sergiy Gryshko from CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz, a Ukrainian practitioner said “I was particularly impressed by the level of teachers combining the insights of their professional careers with brilliant teaching skills.”

“The diversity of both national and professional backgrounds (coaches were both from the private sector and the judiciary as well as from different parts of the globe) helped see the examination of a witness not from only the attorney's perspective, but also with the eyes of the arbitration panel.”

He said it was definitely a course to do for anyone who considers himself as an international arbitration professional firmly committed to constant professional development.

Brazilian lawyer Marcelo Cippitelli from CMS Bureau Francis Lefebvre Mercosur in Buenos Aries said he was amazed by the CPD Training group.

"Peter Lyons' teaching proficiency kept the attention of all the lawyers from the beginning to the end of the course, providing confidence to all the participants to improve their skills with direct participation".

CPD-NITA, the joint venture between British and American advocacy training providers, has been launched successfully in London with a course on International Arbitration.

The 3 day programme was hosted by world-renowned law firm Baker Botts and included delegates from 2 other major City firms.

The training was delivered by CPD’s Peter Lyons and NITA’s Pete Day, an arbitration expert from Seattle.

“We concentrated on the skills needed to appear in successful international arbitrations,” said Lyons. “These included cross-examination and the relatively new procedure called hot-tubbing experts. Hot-tubbing, which was invented by an Australian judge, means the experts are dealt with simultaneously. It saves a lot of time and money.”

CPD-NITA was set up to promote advocacy training in International Arbitration. NITA is the most famous and long-established advocacy teaching organization in America. It conducts programmes throughout the world.

CPD Training accredits the training for delegates from England and Wales and NITA awards CLE points for the US attorneys who go on the course. Each US state has its own CLE requirements so NITA simplifies the process for US delegates.

The reaction from those attending the London course was very positive. One of them said, “It was a very valuable experience. I would be delighted if I were given the opportunity to participate in a similar program in the near future.”

CPD has been delivering its structured litigation training to several firms recently.

The one day modules are designed to be presented at intervals and take the delegates from the pre-action stage to trial.

Firms are opting for a flexible approach. This means they are choosing dispute resolution modules to suit their business needs. The firm chooses the time of the modules and the frequency of when they are delivered.

The training covers subjects like Negotiation, Interim Advocacy, Drafting and Mediation. The added benefit is that the law firm can ask the presenter to deliver the firm’s style of approach to dispute resolution as part of the training.

In these recessionary times, law firms are finding that structured training is more efficient and cheaper than other courses on offer.

Matthew Howarth, head of Commercial Litigation at the fast-growing Leeds firm Gordons LLP is a big fan.

“CPD Training has assisted us greatly by providing the firm with economical and structured dispute resolution training,” he says.

“The courses are engaging, educational and highly relevant to our day to day practice. We particularly enjoy the advocacy courses because they build confidence and teach our lawyers how to be more polished and persuasive.”

Delegates from other firms say the courses keep you interested and teach the skills you need to know in your day to day job.

 “They make you think about cases in a different way.”

The SRA has given the green light to CPD’s Advocacy and Communications Skills programme, describing it as “a very well written and designed course which will benefit delegates.”

The 3 day course, which centres on a fascinating commercial dispute about a valuable piece of Assyrian art and an application in the High Court to recover laundered money was said by the SRA assessor to be of a high quality.

“The course materials give a good balance between the procedural framework and the practical skills required in civil and criminal litigation,” the SRA said.

“The trainers are also well qualified and experienced in this field.”

A new CPR Practice Direction on the pre-action conduct of parties is due to come into force on 6 April 2009. Changes from the existing Practice Direction include the requirement in business debt claims for the creditor to provide information about sources of advice to the debtor before issuing proceedings. To read the full text of the new Practice Direction, click here and go to page 32 of the pdf document which opens in the new window. To read about other changes to the CPR coming into effect on 6 April, click here.

The SRA is consulting on how it should regulate solicitors who appear in higher courts proceedings. Its objectives are to:

§   provide the public and clients with confidence in the standard of solicitor higher court advocates;

§   provide assurances that appropriate standards are being met and maintained; and

§   ensure that any regulatory requirements are open, fair, transparent and proportionate.

The consultation paper outlines three options:

1.  Mandatory re-accreditation for all;

2.  Targeted mandatory re-accreditation

3.  No re-accreditation

For more information, click here.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has today announced a consultation on a new scheme for overseas lawyers to qualify as English solicitors. The scheme will also extend to other UK lawyers, including solicitors admitted in other parts of the UK and barristers.

The consultation is to run for 12 weeks. Further details can be found here.

For some time, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has been considering changes to the rules governing solicitors’ rights to practise advocacy in the Higher Courts.

The SRA has now made its proposals to the Secretary of State, and they have been published on the Law Society's website. See item 8 on this link.

The new Regulations have been designed to:

§               remove the restrictive practices and onerous assessment regime of the existing Regulations;

§               reduce the number of qualifications available (to simply civil and criminal);

§               introduce a single assessment process for each qualification that will concentrate on appropriate advocacy skills and assume that solicitors will have adequate knowledge of relevant rules of procedure and evidence;

§               enable holders of a higher courts qualification granted under previous regulations to 'passport' onto the new scheme, subject to revalidation requirements;

§               introduce a requirement that holders of a higher rights of audience qualification (whether granted under these or previous regulations) will be required revalidate that qualification every 5 years of earlier for current holders;

§               remove the current requirement for experience evidenced by a portfolio; and

§               remove the current mandatory training requirements.

It will take some time for the new Regulations to be approved and implemented. As a result, the existing Higher Rights scheme has now been extended, possibly until 1 January 2010. This is viewed by the SRA as a 'worst case' timetable, so the new scheme may come in sooner.

We will provide further updates on the site as and when further details regarding the new regime and the timetable for its implementation become clearer.