This course includes discussions on effective communication in the court room and in writing, and dealing with vulnerable witnesses, party litigants and other lay people. There are simulated court sessions on dealing with particular situations in court, and on charging the jury. There are seminars on judicial writing, note taking and effective use of time, and exercises on judgment writing, assessing credibility and passing sentence. In addition the course has been developed to consider the newer skills such as handling Preliminary Hearings or First Diets, Intermediate Diets, Child Welfare Hearings, attempting to negotiate settlements in Small Claim and Summary Cause Hearings, Drug Treatment and Testing Reviews, Options Hearings and specialist courts such as those dealing with commercial cases, domestic violence and young offenders.
The purpose of these exercises is to practice our skills to see what does and does not work. In addition, the skill of delivering an ex tempore judgment is discussed. Judicial ethics are taught and discussed from the perspective of the judge.
There are twelve participants on the course consisting of, usually, two senators and ten sheriffs. It is hoped that, all members of the judiciary will undertake judicial skills training once every 5 years. Newer members of the judiciary particularly appreciate the contributions made at the courses by more experienced colleagues. It is hoped that the opportunities this course provides for self-assessment will avoid the prospect of a more formal system of training and appraisal being imposed on the judiciary. It is important that what participants do or say at these courses remains confidential, so that they feel free to experiment in the knowledge that no-one is going to talk about individual events outside the course. The general nature of the course is not confidential.