Yolande Schoültz attended the LPC-accredited Advanced trial advocacy course.
Candidates who demonstrate their competence during this course receive a certificate enabling them to apply to the Legal Practice Council (LPC) for the -
- right of appearance in the High Court (s 25(3)); or
- conversion from attorney to advocate (s 32(1)(a)).
About Yolande
"I am an attorney, conveyancer and notary public. I opened my own firm, Y Schoültz Attorneys, on 1 August 2020."
Background
"I have the following degrees:
- BA in Psychology;
- Honours degree in Criminology;
- LLB; and
- I was admitted as an attorney on 20 June 2019; as a conveyancer on 23 November 2021; and as a notary public on 26 July 2022."
On enrolling in the trial advocacy course at the Gawie le Roux Institute of Law
"I always say to my friends that court is my happy place. I have done several divorces, which was my first exposure to being an attorney in the courtroom. I always loved being in court seeing other attorneys conduct trials, and it was something I aspired to also do, for this reason I decided to study for my LLB degree.
In the last year I started receiving instructions to attend to criminal matters, and soon realised that it is not as easy as it seems when one only observes other attorneys in court.
Although I have an excellent mentor guiding me through the trial preparation process, I felt the need to attend the trial advocacy course to gain the invaluable knowledge and skills from the respected Doctor Gravett, to take what I have learned from my mentor and the course and combine it into my own process to prepare for the three criminal trials I currently have been instructed to attend to.
I also feel that with trials I have a person’s life and future in my hands, and I need to ensure that I do more than my best when representing a client, because should I not be skilled enough or be prepared enough and strive to be the best attorney in the matter, the outcome for my client might be dire. After all, when we got admitted as attorneys, we swore an oath that we will uphold the law, and represent our clients to the best of our ability for justice to prevail before anything else.
When I appear in court, I want my other learned colleagues to remember me for being so well prepared and be an attorney who does not only see this as a job, but an attorney who is so passionate about her career that I will be respected as someone that always gives more than my best for my clients."
On the practical nature of the course
"The trial advocacy course made me realise that there is so much more to trial advocacy than I realised. There are many invaluable skills that I have to master to ensure that my trial preparation is thorough and also on the day of the trial there are much more skills to master than to merely listen to the other attorneys before it is my turn to start asking questions.
Now, when I prepare for trial I will read the manual again and again and again to ensure that I include everything I have learned for the examination of my own client and witnesses."
"To be average is not enough for me, and this course provided me with the necessary tools to excel and be better than average."
Key takeaways
- "Being a trial attorney is not as easy as it seems, it is hard work and practice makes perfect.
- You can not be prepared for every scenario that may come your way in court, however, your preparation beforehand will give you the necessary confidence to manage unexpected situations.
- Preparing for trial is where the majority of the work happens, not the day of the trial.
- I learnt the finer skills to properly do examination-in-chief and cross-examination."