Reading law at university will probably prove to be very different from how most aspiring lawyers imagined it, or at least how their friends and family imagined it. One tends to associate the 'lawyer' with public speaking in front of packed courtrooms, clever questioning of difficult witnesses, heart rending pleas of mitigation and the like. However, the average law student will spend most of his or her time reading in the library, attending lectures, sitting in tutorials, and writing essays.
The University of Bristol Advocacy Programme gives students an opportunity to combine their academic studies with a taste of what it is like to be a real lawyer. The programme teaches participants how to take their academic knowledge and apply it in 'real-life' situations for the benefit of clients, albeit imaginary, and allows them to acquire the 'persuasive' skills essential to legal practice. As a result, many employers value the experience gained by participating in the Programme.
The Advocacy Programme is a high profile and officially supported extra-curricular activity available to all students in the School of Law. The programme incorporates a number of activities and competitions, all of which are generously sponsored by major law firms. It is a fantastic way for our students to meet people from across the School and from the legal profession, whilst improving their knowledge, understanding, and, hopefully, enjoyment of the law.
The Programme has two major internal sets of competitions at its core: the Hunt Cup Debating Competition, sponsored by Beachcroft Wansbroughs, and the Herbert Smith Mooting Competition. Mooting is a specialised form of legal debating, resembling a case being argued before an appeal court (further information on what it involves is available from MootingNet). The Programme also offers training in advocacy and organises participation in Inter-Varsity Mooting Competitions.