The Piddington Society, together with Kate Cook from the ODPP have created a three part course titled “Criminal Appeals Essentials Series - An Introduction to Appellate Advocacy for Criminal Lawyers”.

All three sessions will take place in Courtroom 1 from 5.30pm-7pm

The course, which will be designed for experienced criminal law practitioners, of at least five years’ post-admission experience, will be broken up into 3 sessions comprising of:

1.      Essentials of criminal appellate practice

2.      Essentials of written advocacy in criminal appeals

3.      Essentials of oral advocacy in criminal appeals

The first session will introduce the practitioners to core appellate principles, including the nature of appeals, standards of review and grounds of appeal within the statutory framework governing criminal appeals in Western Australia. It will be aimed at providing participants with a clear understanding of the appellate process in Western Australia, with emphasis on assessing appeal prospects, identifying and formulating competent grounds of appeal, and preparing and presenting criminal appeals effectively.

The second session will focus on preparing an Appellant’s Case or a Respondent’s Answer. It will focus on the critically important skill of written advocacy and will be designed to assist practitioners to create useful and persuasive written appellate submissions. It will provide participants with the opportunity to learn from members of the Judiciary and experienced appellate advocates in how to develop clear, concise, yet comprehensive written submissions which are useful to the Judges deciding appeals.

The Hon Andrew Beech SC will speak on preparing written submissions in appeals against conviction. Paul Yovich SC will focus on written submissions in appeals against sentence'

The third session will focus on oral advocacy in criminal appeals. The seminar will be broken into the following objectives:

1. To assist the practitioner in developing their advocacy skills for appellate work, the third seminar in the Criminal Appeals Essentials series examines appeal hearings and the unique skills required for effective oral appellate advocacy.
2. To provide practical guidance on how to prepare for the appeal hearing, including how to anticipate difficult questions and answer the unanticipated questions, often from more than one Judge at a time!  
3. To learn how to confidently and persuasively present criminal appeals, engage the Coram with your arguments and the tips and tricks to maintaining composure – and train of thought –  under pressure.

Included in your ticket is an electronic copy of 'A Guide to Criminal Appeals in Western Australia', written by Kate Cook and edited by the Hon Andrew Beech. This 200+ page document serves as an essential resource for understanding and navigating criminal appeals in Western Australia, combining statutory provisions, procedural rules, and comprehensively collating legal principles to support effective appellate advocacy and practice.