Local lawyers will undergo specialized courtroom training led by a team of experienced New Zealand legal professionals in a two-day workshop from February 13-14. The program aims to enhance their advocacy skills, particularly in cross-examination and trial preparation.
The workshop will be conducted by Marie Dyhrberg KC, a distinguished barrister from New Zealand, alongside former judges Justice Pamela Andrews, Judge Charles Blackie, and Judge Anna Johns. They will be joined by barristers Ish Jayanandan and Han Na Kim, who have extensive experience in trial and appellate courts.
Tonga’s former acting Attorney General ‘Aminiasi Kefu is among the visiting NZ legal team, bringing his expertise and insights into the Tongan legal system.
The training will focus on practical courtroom techniques, allowing local lawyers to develop their advocacy skills under the mentorship of seasoned legal professionals through ‘learn by doing’.
Open to both defense and prosecution lawyers from the private bar, Crown, and police services, the workshop reflects the importance of balanced and skilled advocacy in the justice system.
As noted in a statement from the visiting team, “The art of cross-examination is not the art of examining crossly. It’s the art of leading the witness through a line of propositions he agrees to until he’s forced to agree to the one fatal question.”
Last year, the Bar Association of Queensland Australia conducted a commercial litigation workshop for lawyers in Tonga.
This initiative follows a pattern of similar training in the Pacific. In 2019, New Zealand legal experts conducted an advocacy workshop in Vanuatu, and in 2023 ran training sessions in Samoa focusing on jury trials and cross-examination techniques.
