Welcome to the Advocacy Club
The Advocacy Club was founded in 2007 to train articling students and junior lawyers in the arts of civil advocacy. Since then, it has expanded to include hundreds of participants from many law firms and governmental organizations. The Club's sessions are based on these principles:
- Trainees learn more by doing than by listening to lectures.
- Junior advocates benefit greatly from networking with other like-minded professionals.
- Collegiality, professionalism and competence are interrelated and form the foundation for a successful career in law.
Club News and Events
Congratulations to Advocacy Club Members Lindsey Park and Goldie Ghamari for their election as MPPs to the Ontario Legislature June 7
Lindsey Park (Club 9) and Goldie Ghamari (Club 13) successfully ran for the Progressive Conservative Part of Ontario and were elected to their respective ridings, Durham (near Oshawa) and Carleton (near Ottawa). Both bring their admirable advocacy skills to their new posts. Well done! You can follow each through their riding association websites. Lindsey here and Goldie here.
Lindsey Park
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Goldie Ghamari
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Announcing New Joint Advocacy Club-CCLA Program:
Weed at Work – Information session advising clients about the impact of legalized cannabis in the workplace
The Advocacy Club and the County of Carleton Law Association (CCLA) are pleased to announce a novel “joint” program to present workplace issues that will arise when the federal cannabis law comes into effect in (or after) the summer of 2018. Organized by Club Member Nigel McKechnie (Lister Beaupré), this interactive program will be presented by Mario Torres (Brazeau Seller) and registered nurse, Madelaine Brown. Brochure here. Hear Mario Torres promote the session in a 1-minute podcast, here.
KPMG Forensic (Ottawa) are hosting this event at their Ottawa office. The program will take place:
KPMG Forensic (Ottawa) are hosting this event at their Ottawa office. The program will take place:
- on Wednesday, June 20, 2018 from 4 o’clock until 6 o’clock
- at KPMG’s premises at 150 Elgin Street, Ottawa
- and will qualify for CPD credits, to be determined upon completion of the program’s specific content
- cost is $50 plus HST per participant, payable here
- net proceeds to the CCLA’s renovation program
Presentation Skills for Advocates - July 10, 2018, 4:00-6:00
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Actress and coach Kristina Watt presents 7 Teachable Techniques of Effective Communication and Persuasive Advocacy. To persuade, lawyers must first communicate effectively. Assisted by senior litigator and Advocacy Club founder, John Hollander, participants will learn the basic lessons of rhetoric and apply them to reach their target audience - whether clients in the office, attendants at a conference or decision-makers in the court/tribunal room.
Hear Kristina discuss the presentation in this 90-second audio podcast, here. Each session consists of a 2-hour session to learn and practice the techniques. Optional follow-up sessions can be scheduled so that participants can practice the techniques a month later under supervision of one or both instructors. This seminar uses Advocacy Club methods of active learning through doing, with actionable techniques. CPD: Participants are entitled to claim 1 hour substantive and 1 hour professional credits for the initial session. Location: Sponsored by and takes place at KPMG Forensic Services, 150 Elgin Street, #1800, Ottawa. Enrolment: Limited to 12 participants for optimal experience. Cost: $250 per participant. To sign up: Contact John Hollander here. |
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Advocacy Club Boot Camp - Summer 2
Join the Advocacy Club! The only way is by taking the Boot Camp. A comprehensive training program that covers the basics of civil trial advocacy: interview skills, case analysis, outlining examinations, discovery, direct and cross-examination techniques and legal argument. All in 8.5 hours of mixed presentations, drills and exercises. A practical, formula-based program that arms the junior litigators with the essentials to survive and succeed in a today's courtrooms.
Details of the Boot Camp can be found here
Contact John Hollander to reserve your spot for the next session, July 17 and 18, 2018 from 12:30-5:00 on Day 1 and 1:00-5:00 on Day 2. Participants will be invited to the 2019 Advocacy Club Retreat, in spring 2019. Location at our sponsor, KPMG Forensic. 150 Elgin, 18th floor.
Another possible session may be scheduled for August 21 and 23.
- CPD: Sessions qualify as 6.5 hours substantive and 2.0 hours professional CPD, of which 1.0 hour qualifies as the EDI component each lawyer requires annually.
- Cost: $370 for lawyers and $250 for articling and summer students, both plus HST.
- Payment via credit card or PayPal, can be arranged here for lawyers and here for students.
Chat with Lawyers Podcast Series
John Hollander interviews lawyers to present an entertaining discussion of their careers and techniques. Each podcast runs less than an hour. All of the episodes in Season 1 (2017) feature discussions of issues faced by junior lawyers when dealing with professional choices. For both Seasons 1 and 2 (rolling out in 2018), the accomplished guests present tips and guidance with respect to an area of law (e.g. Construction, Family, Personal Injury/Insurance Defence), a component of litigation practice (e.g. Discovery, Trial Preparation, Mediation, Factum Writing) or a subject related to career development (e.g. Promotion, Professionalism, Starting a Law Practice). An impressive group of counsel has participated in these one-on-one and one-on-two interviews. All the lawyers with 10 years or less at the Bar are members of the Advocacy Club.
In Season 1 (2017), 13 episodes present interviews with 12 different lawyers. We are midway through Season 2 (2018). Episodes feature professionalism topics, from partnership, to starting new ventures within the firm or even a new firm, to maternity leave issues and many more topics of interest to lawyers generally, and junior lawyers specifically.
Starting shortly will be the Great Canadians Series, in which prominent Canadians connected to the law speak about their contributions to their respective communities. We have lined up Katie Black (founder of the Syrian Refugee Sponsorship Program), a retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, the current Dean of a law school and a young soon-to-be lawyer who has already made a dramatic impact on her community.
All can be found at: www.chatwithlawyers.ca.
In Season 1 (2017), 13 episodes present interviews with 12 different lawyers. We are midway through Season 2 (2018). Episodes feature professionalism topics, from partnership, to starting new ventures within the firm or even a new firm, to maternity leave issues and many more topics of interest to lawyers generally, and junior lawyers specifically.
Starting shortly will be the Great Canadians Series, in which prominent Canadians connected to the law speak about their contributions to their respective communities. We have lined up Katie Black (founder of the Syrian Refugee Sponsorship Program), a retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, the current Dean of a law school and a young soon-to-be lawyer who has already made a dramatic impact on her community.
All can be found at: www.chatwithlawyers.ca.
From Novice Lawyer to Skilled Advocate...
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Founded by John Hollander in 2009 in Ottawa, the Advocacy Club trains novice lawyers to become skilled advocates. It has two focuses:
Our training methods emphasize practical exercise sessions without lectures. The initial training (the Boot Camp) consists of two half days of four hours each. The first half day focuses on interview skills, case analysis and outlining techniques. The second applies the lessons of the first session to examinations and closing arguments. Boot Camp enrolment is limited so that participants get the most out of each session. |
By the end of the Boot Camp, junior advocates have learned to apply the techniques to most of the situations they encounter in their practice. After this initial training, Club members participate in advanced sessions that take place throughout the year. To date these sessions have included training in:
John has written several handbooks presenting the Advocacy Club techniques. They are available through Irwin Law Publishers and on the Store page of this website.
In January 2014, John Hollander Professional Corporation was approved as an Accredited Provider of Professionalism Content by the Law Society of Upper Canada. This accreditation applies to all Advocacy Club Programs to which professionalism content is applicable.
If you have any questions for John, or are interested in Advocacy Club training sessions, go to the Contact page.
- focused cross examination techniques
- focused direct examination techniques
- presentation skills (led by professional actress and coach, Kristina Watt)
- discovery techniques (adapted for use by AJEFO)
- advanced discovery techniques - dealing with poor questions and non-responsive answers
- advanced discovery - dealing with aggressive counsel and witnesses
- negotiation tactics (adapted for use by AJEFO)
- mediation
- case analysis
- objections (adapted for use by AJEFO)
- openings and closings
- motions advocacy
- expert witnesses (several separate sessions with accountants, occupational therapists and psychologists)
- impeachment of witnesses
John has written several handbooks presenting the Advocacy Club techniques. They are available through Irwin Law Publishers and on the Store page of this website.
In January 2014, John Hollander Professional Corporation was approved as an Accredited Provider of Professionalism Content by the Law Society of Upper Canada. This accreditation applies to all Advocacy Club Programs to which professionalism content is applicable.
If you have any questions for John, or are interested in Advocacy Club training sessions, go to the Contact page.