Advocacy Club

The advocacy club gives everybody, from nervous beginners to seasoned mooters the chance to practise and hone their advocacy. 

Scroll down for information about the Advocacy Club or to join the Advocacy Club. 

What is the Advocacy Club

The advocacy club is a friendly, non-judgmental club for aspiring lawyers to practise and improve their advocacy. The club is open to those who are new to advocacy and looking to make a start through to those who are very experienced in mooting and advocacy. 

You will have the chance to meet new people at each meeting. It is a great way to network with your peers within the legal field, have fun and enhance your advocacy at the same time!

Who can join the advocacy club

In a word: anyone. 

The club is open to:

– Law undergraduates and graduates; 

– GDL students and graduates; 

– Masters, BPTC and LPC students and graduates;

– Pupils, trainee solicitors and those in practise;

– Aspiring lawyers yet to start their legal studies.

Our advocacy sessions are based on the law of England and Wales, but people from all over the globe are welcome to join. 

How it Works

There are two Advocacy Clubs. One focuses on legal submissions and the other focuses on public speaking & debating. Members are welcome to join one club or both. 

The advocacy club will take place online via Zoom.  At each meeting, the members will be split into groups. Within your small group, you will perform the set advocacy challenge for that particular meeting. Once you have all performed, you will then discuss your performances within your group – both what went well and what can be improved. This gives you the chance to practise and develop your advocacy in a friendly environment! 

The Advocacy Club meets every month. 

The Legal Advocacy Club sessions take place on the last Tuesday of the month, save for December. Meetings last from 7.30 pm to 9.00 pm. 

The Public Speaking and Debating Advocacy Club session take place on the second to last Tuesday of the month, save for December. Meetings last from 7.30 pm to 9.00 pm. 

In December there will be one meeting which is open to members of both clubs. This will be a public speaking session. 

The relevant papers for the meetings will be sent out 7 days prior, so you will have a week to prepare. The schedule for our 2023 meetings are set out below. 

Sessions that we run

Set out below are explanations of the Advocacy Club sessions that we run.

Speed Mooting

At the speed mooting sessions, you will be provided with all the materials needed in advance – skeleton arguments, case law and legislation. There is no drafting or research involved! All you need to do is read the material in advance. On the night, you will take part in mooting and be a judge if you like! 

Plea in Mitigation

The purpose of the plea in mitigation is for a barrister/solicitor to outline the mitigating factors in a case and therefore obtain the best possible sentence on behalf of their client. You will be able to present you plea in mitigation and receive feedback on your performance. 

Witness Handling

This is possibly the most fun aspect of being a lawyer. You will be able to undertake evidence in chief and cross examination. Your peers will play your witnesses. You will also have the opportunity of being a witness on the night. Effective witness handling is a vital skill for any trial lawyer! 

Closing Speech

At the closing speech session, you will have the opportunity to present a closing speech. This is a speech made by a lawyer to the tribunal at the end of a trial to summarise the evidence that has been presented and seek to persuade the tribunal to find in their client’s favour. This can be a very fun form of advocacy. 

Civil Submissions Advocacy

At the civil submissions advocacy session, you will have the opportunity to present a piece of civil advocacy that would commensurate with the level of advocacy typically undertaken in the county court by a pupil barrister or trainee solicitor. You will present your submissions and receive feedback on your performance.

Bail Application

A bail application is an oral submission made in court by a barrister/solicitor to request that their client is released on bail during the course of criminal proceedings leading up to trial rather than being remanded into custody. You will be able to present you plea in mitigation and receive feedback on your performance. 

Public Speaking / Presentation

This is a chance to have fun with your advocacy. You will have the chance to put together a short speech on any topic of your choosing (legal or non-legal). You will perform this to your group and receive feedback on your performance. If you feel brave, you can also undertake a short impromptu speech on the night!

Debating

This is your opportunity to practise adversarial advocacy. You will be given a topic to prepare in advance for you to research and put across your best points on the night. You can receive intervention in your debate so you will need to be prepare for questions. 

 

Details of our 2024 sessions will be added to the website later in the year.

Cost of Membership for the Advocacy Club

There are two Advocacy Clubs. 

The Public Speaking and Debating Advocacy Club meets on the second to last Tuesday of the month at 7.30 pm on Zoom. The cost to be a member of this Advocacy Club is £10 per month. 

The Legal Advocacy Club meets meets on the last Tuesday of the month at 7.30 pm on Zoom. The cost to be a member of this Advocacy Club is £10 per month. 

You can be a member of both clubs and have unlimited access to all of our sessions for £16.00 per month. 

There will be 1 meeting in December which is open to members of all clubs. This will be a public speaking session that will take place on the third Tuesday in December. 

The payment for your first month of membership will be taken at the point you sign up. The payment for all subsequent months will be taken on the first day of the month. 

You can cancel at any time. If you cancel part way through the month, you can still attend the session(s) for that month. 

Public Speaking and Debating Advocacy Club

£ 10
00
per month
  • Access to all public speaking and debating sessions
  • Ideal for those looking to develop general advocacy skills
  • Meetings take place on Zoom on the second to last Tuesday of the month (second Tuesday in December)

Legal Submissions Advocacy Club

£ 10
00
per month
  • Access to all legal Advocacy Club sessions
  • Ideal for those looking to develop their legal advocacy skills
  • Meetings will take place on Zoom on on the last Tuesday of the month (third Tuesday in December)

Legal and Public Speaking /Debating Advocacy Club

£ 16
00
per month
  • Access to all Public Speaking/Debating and Legal Advocacy Club sessions
  • Great for those looking to develop legal and general advocacy skills
  • Access to two meetings per month. Meetings to take place on last and second to last Tuesday of the month (save for December)

Frequently Asked Questions

Absolutely. The Advocacy Club is open to anybody. Therefore those that have graduated from any course – whether it is the LLB, GDL, Bar Course, LPC, Master’s, PhD etc can join. 

Yes. Aspiring lawyers that are yet to commence their LLB or GDL are more than welcome to join. This is a great way of building experience prior to starting your studies. 

Yes. The club is open to those of all abilities and experience levels. The instructions we provide are very comprehensive and all materials are provided. This meaning that complete beginners with no experience can join the Advocacy Club. 

Yes. The bundles that we provide replicate realistic legal problems and therefore the Advocacy Club is a great way for practising lawyers to practise and hone their advocacy skills. 

Certainly. The club has a friendly and inclusive atmosphere. This is the perfect place for those that are nervous or unconfident to practise advocacy and develop their skills in a safe environment. 

The papers and Zoom link are sent to the email address with which you register for the Advocacy Club at least 7 days prior to your session. 

If you join the Advocacy Club within 7 days of a session, we endeavour to send the papers to you as soon as possible after you register. 

We understand how busy you are – whether you are a student or in practice, your time is precious. We therefore ensure that the preparation required from you is limited. Our bundles for the legal sessions are comprehensive and therefore include everything that you will need for the session. This will include all legislation, case law, pre-drafted skeleton arguments, sentencing guidelines etc. 

There is no research or drafting required for the legal sessions. You simply need to read the bundle and prepare your submissions. 

Yes. You can join the Advocacy Club at any time throughout the year. 

The cost for a membership of the Public Speaking and Debating Advocacy Club is £10 per month. 

The cost for a membership of the Legal Advocacy Club is £10 per month. 

The cost for access to both the Public Speaking & Debating Advocacy Club and the Legal Advocacy Club is £16 per month. 

The payment for your first month of membership is taken at the time you sign up. Payment for all subsequent months are taken on the first day of the month. 

If you wish to leave the Advocacy Club at any time, there are two ways this can be done. First, you can log in to the My Account section of the website and cancel your subscription manually. Alternatively, you can cancel your membership by sending an email to national speedmoot@gmail.com expressing your wish to leave the Advocacy Club. 

John Dove

Founder of the National Speed Mooting Competition