About this online course

You go to court for one purpose only, to present your client’s evidence to the judge in a manner that is persuasive. You want the judge to accept your client’s version of what actually happened.

This is not an easy task. Listen to an expert tell you how it is done. This is a performance skill and requires careful preparation and the deployment of special skills. This program will assist you with the best techniques in handling witnesses so that the judge is persuaded to accept your version.
The course will cover the following:

• How to prepare for trial, based on your case concept?
• How will you work out what the triable issue (factual and/or legal) is? What do you tell the judge?
• How will you use your chronology document or table?
• How will you make effective use of contemporaneous documentation?
• What does a judge expect when you lead a witness in chief?
• What do you tell the judge about your evidence in opening statement?
• The best techniques in avoiding use of leading questions.
• The importance of leading evidence sequentially.
• Who do you call first and why?
• The benefit of carrying out a proof analysis.
• Understanding how to present evidence in terms of your case concept.
• The best technique for leading in chief; cross-examination; re-examination; and dealing with difficult witnesses.
• How to handle witnesses so that they support your version and support your final argument.
• There will be a discussion on what not to do when leading and cross-examining.
• Will you know when to stop?
• When do you require Heads of Argument?
• What is the most effective method of presenting your final argument?
• The benefit of handing up a draft order?

Presenter

Ismail Hussain SC is a former Judge of the High Court and Competition Appeal Court. He has been a highly popular LEAD trainer for many years. Mr Hussain SC is an expert in commercial drafting, opinion writing, litigation and case management. He is also a published author. He is a Professor of law at Nelson Mandela University. The presenter published his fourth book: “TRIAL ADVOCACY the art of Persuasion” – published by LexisNexis. His book “Practical Drafting Skills” is very popular with practitioners.

Date
27 & 28 May 2025 | 13:00 – 16:00
Closing date for registrations: 26 May 2025

Note: Kindly note that this course might run over the scheduled time. Please do not arrange any other appointments for at least 30 minutes after the scheduled closing time.

What previous delegates said

• ‘Great presentation. Extremely informative.’
• The presenter’s knowledge and expertise are wide. I will be interested in anything that he is presenting.
• ‘I really enjoyed the course and learned some new tricks.’
• ‘Adv Hussain’s webinars are always practical, insightful, and helpful!’
• Thank you for an excellent offering, as always.
• ‘Adv Hussain has excellent, practical presentation skills. So worthwhile attending, thank you.’
• ‘What a fruitful Webinar!’

Certification
Both sessions are mandatory to qualify for a certificate.

•    Legal practitioners, corporate counsel, state legal advisors and academic legal practitioners

Registration fee categories (including VAT):

•    Practising legal practitioners and other staff from legal firms: R 1 650 per person.
•    Non-practising legal practitioners/others: R 2 500 per person.

Kindly note that registrations are done online. For certification purposes, participants should register individually, using their own email address. This will enable the system to generate a unique username and password for each person.

STEP 1: 
Payment should be made by electronic funds transfer (EFT) only. You are required to upload the proof of payment (PDF) in step 2 – (Online registration form). Should an invoice be required to effect payment, replace the proof of payment document with a note (Word) requesting an invoice.

LSSA banking details: Account name: Law Society of South Africa | Bank: FNB Pretoria | Branch code: 251445 | Account no: 6200 9641 079 | Reference: OYF, Surname, Initials

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER 

E-mail: Bettie@LSSALEAD.org.za | Tel No 012 4414670

• The LSSA will not accept liability for fees not paid into the designated LSSA bank account.
• The course will be conducted in English only.
• The course will be delivered via MS TEAMS. Please ensure MS TEAMS is installed on your computer before the course begins.
• In compliance with company policy and copyright regulations, no recordings or PowerPoint presentations will be made available after the course.
• Course materials and the course link will be sent to you via email approximately 24 hours before the course begins.
• Please test the links as soon as you receive them. If you do not receive the email, check your junk mail folder. If it’s not there, contact Bettie Lubbe at Bettie@LSSALEAD.org.za.
• No cancellations will be accepted after the course materials and link have been shared. Participants who do not cancel in time or fail to attend will forfeit the course fee.
• To cancel your registration, you must do so in writing before the course materials and link are sent. Cancellations will not be accepted after this point, and failure to comply will result in the full fee being charged.
• LSSA/LEAD reserves the right to postpone or cancel any program due to insufficient demand. In the event of a cancellation, registered delegates will be given reasonable notice, and all fees paid will be refunded.

LEAD is one of the largest providers of legal professional education in South Africa and has been accredited as a legal education provider by the Legal Practice Council. LEAD provides access to quality learning that is relevant, accessible and affordable. LEAD offers an extensive range of learning activities and training options.