LAWYER’S SKILLS :
PREPARATION,PRESENTATI
ON AND PERSONAL SKILLS
CHAPTER 2
WHEN STANDING AND
MAKING YOUR SUBMISSION
O Do not fidget
O Do not slouch over the lectern
O Do not stand so rigidly
O Stand in front of the lectern and do not move around the
moot room
O Do not fiddle with paperwork, pen or something
O Do not overuse hand and arm gestures
O If you need a drink, sip from a glass instead of gulp from
a bottle
Avoid those to make judges have a good impression on
you.
THE PACE OF SPEAKING
O Many mooters, when speak for the first time, speak too
quickly.
O A good speaker speak at pace that enables them to pause
for breath whenever needed.
O Pausing actually will makes you able to :
i. enabling to catch your breath
ii. to give emphasis to a particular point
iii. to allow the judges to take notes
Speaking fluently
O Avoid using fillers such as ‘er’ and ‘um’
during submissions.
O Avoid start your point with ‘so’ and never
respond with ‘no worries’ and ‘cool’.
Appropriate and inappropriate
language
O Avoid using the unnecessary use of slang or
jargon, unless these feature directly in the text
you are dealing with
O Avoid using the use of obscene or rude
language unless it features in the text you are
dealing with.
YOUR DEMEANOUR
O Stand when the judges enter the court and
when he (or the court clerk) indicates that he
is ready to leave the court.
O Bow your head when when the judges take his
place or when to leave
O Stand when addressing the court
O Do not do anything that that shows disrespect
to the court, like fiddling, playing with your
hair biting your fingernail and sort of these.
CONTROLLING YOUR NERVES
O According to Mark Twain, there are two types of speaker
which is are nervous and those that are liars.
O If you felt nervous, there are several things you can do to
overcome your nerves which is you should know what the
causes and try to deal with it.
O The most common fears is including
O failing to deal with a case or statutory provision that is
revelant to your argument,
O misunderstanding the moot problem or
O ruining your agreement in such a way that cause damage
O to your teammate’s argument.
BREATHING
O One of the way to help your nerves is by
breathing.
O You just have to stand up straight with your
feet shoulder width apart then close your eyes
and relax.
O Pay attention to your breathing and tell
yourself there’s no need to rush
O Now make an effort to slow down your
breathing and you are ready!
O LISTENING SKILLS
- DO NOT ANSWER ANY QUESTION BEFORE THE
JUDGE HAS FINISHED ASKING THEM
O PROJECTING CONFIDENCE
-Good lawyer exude confidence
Stand tall, upright, shoulders back, chest out.
-And smile
Giving the impression of calmness will help you being
calm and confidence.
O TONE AND PACE OF SPEECH
- Deliver your submission in balanced and
well-modulated manner.
- Do not deliver with over excited voice,
dull and quiet.
- You do not have to speak continously, but
pause between one point and the very next.
O WHEN SHOULD YOU START TO PRACTISE YOUR
SUBMISSIONS?
START TO PRACTISE THEM
AS SOON AS YOU
REASONABLY HAPPY WITH
YOUR SUBMISSIONS!
HOW TO ANTICIPATE
QUESTIONS FROM THE BENCH
O Testing your submissions against hypothetical
objections
O Put yourself in the position of a judge and consider
what question you might ask.
O Practise your moot in front as many different people
acting as judges as time allows.
UNDERSTANDING THE RULES
OF THE MOOT
O As a mooter, you need to know :
a) The length each speaker has to deliver the submissions
b) Whether or not the clock stop during the judicial
interventions
c) The timescales and rules relating to the various stages
leading up to the moot
d) The order of speaker
e) Whether or not there is a right of reply and any rules
relating to this.
Practice your submissions
O Try to practiced in front of many people and ask for
critical feedback
O Listen to your own submission and try to improve it
O Record yourself to know your performance so you can
know what you are lacking like :
- Speak too quiet or too quick
- Speaking in a monotone without an expression
- Excessive hand or arm gesture
- Using fillers such as ‘er’ and ‘um’
- Using dialect or slang
- Fidgeting or fiddling with pen, paper etc
- Doing anything annoying
THE FINAL CHECK
O Remain alert to any recent developments or
any late changes in the law that might affect
your mooting
O Aware of any cases that are pending a decision
of an appellate court if you have read widely
enough around the subject area of the moot.
O NOW YOU ARE READY!
