Spanish Trial Skills Academy Welcomes Eighty International Attorneys
Proyecto ACCESO and the Institute for Criminal Defense Advocacy teach valuable oral trial advocacy skills to Latin American attorneys

SAN DIEGO, February 8, 2010 - The Sixth Annual Janeen Kerper Trial Skills Academy welcomes approximately 80 attorneys from Latin American countries February 12 through 16. Sponsored by the Institute for Criminal Defense Advocacy and Proyecto ACCESO, the five-day program is designed to teach Spanish-speaking attorneys litigation skills.

The Trial Skills Academy is the only program in the United States that offers Spanish-language instruction of oral trial advocacy skills to Latin American attorneys. Over 2,500 invitations were sent out to attorneys throughout Latin America, ranging from graduating law students to tenured attorneys with decades of legal experience. Last year, approximately 80 attorneys participated in the program.

"This is a truly diverse international group, which shows the strength of the adversarial legal system in places where it is relatively new," says Director of the Institute for Criminal Defense Advocacy Justin Brooks.

Trial Skills Academy
During the Trial Skills Academy, attorneys will become more efficient in trial techniques and strategies through role-playing the defense and prosecution in a simulated case. Instructors are top Spanish-speaking criminal attorneys from all around the U.S. In the past, their instruction has helped train some of the best trial lawyers from Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Dominican Republic.

As part of the academy, attendees will also visit the federal court house in San Diego to witness live criminal trial with question-answer session at the end of their tour.

After the five-day seminar, the lawyer will be more prepared to:

• give solid opening statements;
• examine witnesses with confidence during direct and cross-examinations;
• give convincing closing arguments;
• and develop better trial strategies.

"We are not only exporting a set of practical skills to legal professionals in other countries, we are spreading the positive aspects of our legal culture," says Assistant Dean for Mission Development and Director of Proyecto ACCESO Jamie Cooper.