Institute of Advocacy Exam study plan

Map every ethical duty in the professional conduct rules to a concrete courtroom scenario (conflict of interest, duty to the court versus duty to the client, confidentiality limits, handling client perjury, ex parte contact).

Draft a one-page personal ethics checklist you can apply before any hearing or filing.

Record yourself delivering a two-minute opening statement and score it against a self-made rubric covering structure, pace, eye contact and signposting.

Identify the disciplinary and regulatory consequences of the three most common advocacy failures (misleading the court, improper witness contact, mishandling client funds).

Analyse four hypothetical conflict and confidentiality problems and write the correct course of action for each with the governing principle cited.

Practise cross-examination of a witness on a scripted fact pattern, focusing on leading questions, control and one-fact-per-question discipline.

Draft written reasons for an ethical decision you made in a scenario, in the register of a professional conduct submission.

Build a list of phrases for politely resisting a judge's improper suggestion without conceding your client's position.

Draft a statement of claim and a defence from a supplied fact pattern, ensuring every element of the cause of action is pleaded.

Draft a skeleton argument or written submission of no more than 1,500 words on a single legal issue.

Produce a research note distinguishing binding from persuasive authority and identifying the ratio of each key case.

Rewrite one paragraph of your own drafting three times to tighten structure, remove ambiguity and improve precision.

Classify each item in a supplied evidence bundle by type (oral, documentary, real, expert) and by relevance, admissibility and weight.

Draft a witness statement that complies with formal requirements and avoids inadmissible opinion and hearsay.

Prepare examination-in-chief, cross-examination and re-examination plans for one witness, with an objective for every question.

Write a short admissibility argument applying the rules on hearsay, character and similar fact evidence.

Deliver a ten-minute closing speech from notes only, structuring it around the burden of proof and the two strongest facts.

Practise handling three hostile judicial interventions mid-submission without losing the thread.

Refine cross-examination technique to expose inconsistency between two statements by the same witness.

Self-review recordings and write down three specific habits to eliminate and three techniques to adopt.

Draft a case management timetable and directions order for a hypothetical matter, allocating realistic dates to each step.

Explain the procedural consequences of late filing, non-compliance with directions and failure to disclose.

Deliver a five-minute bail or interim application using the correct procedural framework and burden.

Produce a one-page procedural roadmap for a civil case from issue to trial and a parallel one for a criminal case.

Prepare a negotiation plan with a defined opening position, target, walk-away point and three concession trades.

Role-play a settlement meeting and record which concessions you made and why.

Draft a client care letter covering scope, fees, likely timetable and complaint route.

Write a short advice note recommending mediation over litigation, with an honest cost-benefit analysis.

Complete a timed mock exam under exam conditions covering ethics, oral advocacy and procedure.

Review every wrong answer and write the correct rule and reasoning for each.

Deliver a final recorded five-minute submission and compare it against your week 1 recording.

Consolidate a single one-page revision sheet of the rules and phrases you most often forgot.