Advocacy: A Practical Guide
By Peter Lyons
Advocacy: A Practical Guide is for those who wish to learn essential advocacy skills as well as those seeking to make their advocacy more effective.
“I have read no better guide to the practicalities of good advocacy than Peter Lyons’ book. It is informed by years of experience and by a wealth of illuminating anecdotes that will instruct and entertain all advocates from the novice to the QC. It is easy to understand, comprehensive (from opening submissions, through cross-examination to final speeches) and, as one would expect of a book on advocacy, completely persuasive.” From the foreword by Lord Pannick KC
Advocacy: A Practical Guide is for those who wish to learn essential advocacy skills as well as those seeking to make their advocacy more effective. It shows you how to overcome nerves; how to present clearly and ethically; and how to undertake case analysis. It will also show you how to succeed in Interim Applications (Motions); Handling Witnesses in Examination-in-Chief (Direct Examination) and in Cross-Examination; Re-examination; Making Submissions of Law to a Court or Panel; and Trial Speeches. There is also a section on Written Advocacy which teaches you to write persuasively and how to draft submissions and effective skeleton arguments.
The book is aimed at barristers, solicitors, arbitration lawyers, patent attorneys and students. International lawyers will also find the book helpful, providing as it does, a better understanding of common law practice such as cross-examination. Order a copy.
REVIEWS
The Law Society Gazette has named Advocacy: A Practical Guide as one of the Top 10 Books of 2019. Read the original review here.
The Australian legal journal Justinian has also reviewed the book favourably.
Read the reviews on Amazon here.
Mark Belshaw of Essex Court Chambers has reviewed the book here.
Read the review of Simon Gates, Partner at Australian firm McLean McKenzie & Topfer, here.
David Kavanagh KC on Advocacy - a Practical Guide:
Thank you for sending me a copy of your book. I've not responded before now because I wanted to finish reading it, which I did on the weekend when, ironically, I was travelling back to London from a hearing at the ICC in Paris.
I thought it was absolutely excellent and it brought back some very happy memories of our time together on your courses.
Since I took Silk two years ago I've taken the lead advocate role on all my arbitration matters and have had a lot of fun doing that in several trials. So I'm actually practising what you preached. It's given me a real new lease of life at an advanced stage of my career and it all started when doing the Higher Rights course with you, which was really inspirational.
Last week we obtained a remarkable award in a London arbitration which I did against Slaughters and Fountain Court in July. We devised and delivered on a novel case theory that you would have liked. I was helped by an all-Skadden team who shared the advocacy with me, so it's a case of the seeds that you helped sow now being propagated.
I was explaining to one of my star associates your inimitable style, when arguing about whether to structure our closing in Paris around the famous lines of Robert Frost. We did so in the end, and I think it struck a chord.
You should be very proud of the book.
3 April 2019
Nikhat Khan, Evaluative Mediator and Arbitrator, Dubai:
Peter Lyons’ book Advocacy: A Practical Guide is my treasured handbook. This is the most informative and best book on advocacy in print. The book explains how to prepare for cases in court, and the practical techniques of advocacy are fully explained. There is a summary at the end of every chapter.
Therefore, if you are considering a career at the Bar or as a solicitor advocate, then there is one thing that you must seek: the book written by Peter Lyons and the training provided by him at CPD Training.