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CS Professional · Drafting, Pleadings and Appearances · Art of Advocacy and Appearances

Before a Tribunal bench, a company secretary appearing for a client begins her oral submission by reading out the entire petition word for word, taking 40 minutes. The bench has already read the papers and grows impatient. Which advocacy skill has she most clearly neglected?

She neglected concise, issue-focused presentation. A good advocate assumes the bench has read the papers, picks out the key issues and the relief sought, and argues them briefly instead of reading the whole petition aloud.

  1. AConcise, issue-focused presentation that highlights only the key points and the relief soughtCorrect
  2. BReproducing every averment so that nothing in the record is omitted
  3. CAvoiding any reference to statutory provisions to keep the argument simple
  4. DSpeaking continuously without allowing the bench to ask questions

Explanation

Effective advocacy requires identifying the real issues and presenting them briefly and clearly, since the bench has usually read the pleadings. Reading the whole petition aloud wastes time and dilutes the main argument. Avoiding statutory references or refusing questions would weaken advocacy further, not improve it.

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