Finding Your Voice
Advocacy Workshop
Making submissions is part of our usual repertoire as barristers, regardless of what area of law you practice in.
But how do you harness your personality, natural voice, tone, and physical space to best ensure that you deliver your arguments in a persuasive and authentic way?
And how do we, as female advocates, harness our unique skill sets and viewpoints to be successful in the courtroom in a male-dominated industry?
Join Jane FitzGerald and April Freeman for an advocacy workshop like no other where we will help you build your advocacy skills in a supportive, collaborative and engaging setting designed to ensure that we can all find our voices.
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Day 1
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Friday 4 October 2024
2pm to 5:30pm, followed by drinks and nibbles
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Day 2
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Saturday 5 October 2024
8am to 11.30am, including breakfast
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Location
Level 6, Santos Place
32 Turbot Street BRISBANE
What's in store for you?
Individualised coaching to help you get the best out of your advocacy:
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Tips and tricks for getting ready to persuade in the courtroom
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Advice and guidance from an expert panel led by Justice Kerri Mellifont, Ruth O’Gorman KC and Erin Longbottom KC
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Expert advocacy coaching from Jane FitzGerald and Ruth O’Gorman KC
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Opportunities to put into practice what you have learned in a supportive and collaborative environment
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Meet your expert workshop hosts
The Honourable Justice KERRI MELLIFONT
President of the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal
Judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland
Former Queensland Woman Lawyer of the Year, President of the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal, and Judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland, The Honourable Justice Kerri Mellifont will share her perspectives and wisdom on owning our worth as professional females and how we can harness our unique personalities and qualities to be more effective advocates in the courtroom.
Erin Longbottom KC
King's Counsel
Erin took silk in 2019 and practises in a broad range of administrative, native title and commercial matters acting on behalf of Government and Government agencies (both State and Commonwealth), private and commercial parties as well as representative bodies.
Erin regularly appears in a number of jurisdictions including the High Court, Federal Court, Supreme Court of Queensland and Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
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In 2021, Doyle’s Guide listed Erin as a Leading Senior Counsel in Australian Native Title law.
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Erin was also Senior Counsel Assisting the Board of Inquiry into the Criminal Justice System led by Walter Sofranoff KC in the ACT and famously took Shane Drumgold to task over the Lehrmann prosecution.
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Erin will be a valuable addition to the panel session.
Ruth O’Gorman KC
King's Counsel
Ruth took silk in 2021 and practises mainly in criminal law where she appears in trials in the Supreme, District and Magistrates Courts of Queensland, and appeals in the High Court of Australia and Queensland Court of Appeal.
In 2023, Doyles Guide listed Ruth as a pre-eminent senior counsel in criminal law in Queensland and a recommended senior counsel in criminal law in Australia. Ruth also appears in Inquests and Inquiries including the Independent Commission of Inquiry into Queensland Police Service responses to domestic and family violence.
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Ruth is no stranger to the courtroom and is well placed to provide expert advocacy guidance and coaching.
Jane FitzGerald
Barrister-at-Law
Jane has been at the private Bar in Queensland since 2009. As an advocate she has a broad practice including commercial, insurance, personal injury, professional negligence, medical negligence, building and construction, administrative, estate and family disputes. As a mediator she has worked with public, corporate and private clients involved in a range of family, commercial, personal and interpersonal disputes.
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Jane also has an extensive background in teaching advocacy including providing advocacy consulting services to the Bar Association of Queensland - Bar Practice Course, the Australian Advocacy Institute, the College of Law and to firms, groups and individuals offering communications advice and workshops. Jane also teaches in the US, where she provides advocacy training as part of the Building Trial Skills program offered by the National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA) in San Francisco and San Diego. She completed her teacher training in 2009 and achieved her Advocate and Master Advocate Designations from NITA in 2011.
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​Who better than Jane to help us get the best out of our advocacy?!
Feel inspired.
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Be empowered.
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Enrich your life and your business.
