Welcome to ERA – Academy of European Law

The aim of this course is to provide criminal defence lawyers with the advocacy skills necessary to appear before the International Criminal Court (ICC) and other ad hoc international criminal tribunals.
The course will include:

• Explanation and demonstration of examination-in-chief, direct examination and cross-examination;
• Practical exercise in examination-in-chief;
• Practical exercise in cross-examination;
• Mock trial.

The exercises will use case studies especially constructed for the course and are designed to mirror the type of cases which participants will be dealing with in their professional life. The course will take account of the particular circumstances which prevail in the ICC and international criminal tribunals. The trainers are familiar with different European systems of trial and will therefore be able to contrast and compare the “adversarial” and “inquisitorial” systems.The programme includes the videoing of the advocacy performances of the participants. The trainer will then provide advice on how to improve both content and style.