Linda signs the Bar Roll of Counsel, the final ceremonial step in joining the Victorian Bar and stands in front of the Supreme Court of Victoria.

Across the justice system, the skill of preparing and arguing a case clearly and effectively is essential to fair outcomes for both victims and accused persons. In courtrooms across the country, lawyers rely on strong preparation and honed advocacy skills to present arguments, support their clients, and ensure that every voice is properly heard before the court.

To strengthen the capabilities of public solicitors, Vanuatu lawyer Linda Bakokoto recently travelled to Melbourne to take part in the Victorian Bar Readers Course, a six-week program focused on building courtroom advocacy and professional legal practice. Supported by the Australian Government, the training also covered essential skills in legal practice management, ethics and professional responsibility, leads to better decisions, more efficient proceedings, and greater public confidence in the rule of law.

Linda works as a solicitor at the Office of the Public Solicitor (OPS), and also has the important role of helping to build the capacity of her colleagues. “I’m responsible for training at the office and I am also a Victorian Bar Accredited Advocacy Trainer,” she said. “What motivated me was that I can’t deliver a training program on something I’m not knowledgeable in. Advocacy is a skill you can never fully grasp because court rules differ within different jurisdictions and different judges have different expectations and styles. You learn as you go from different people.”