New Perimeter provides trial advocacy training in the Bahamas
New Perimeter, DLA Piper's nonprofit affiliate that provides long-term pro bono legal assistance in under-served regions around the world, conducted a training session on trial advocacy skills for police prosecutors from the Bahamas.
The training, held November 15-18 in the Bahamas for approximately 25 police prosecutors, was led by a team of DLA Piper litigators and addressed challenges faced by police prosecutors and best practices for presenting a case in chief and responding to the defense's case. The interactive, simulation-based workshop focused on trial skills, including evidence presentation, cross and direct examination, witness preparation and presentation, and courtroom decorum. New Perimeter is also in the process of creating a desk reference manual for police prosecutors that will outline best practices in trial advocacy.
"We are thrilled to continue to have the opportunity to work with talented and committed police prosecutors in the Caribbean," said Suzanna Brickman, pro bono counsel for New Perimeter and manager of the project. "They play a vital role in ensuring justice and security in their communities, and it is a privilege for us to provide them with training on trial skills that will allow them to be more effective in the courtroom."
Developed and conducted in partnership with the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), which is working throughout the Caribbean to strengthen legal institutions and promote the rule of law, the training was part of, and funded by, the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative Justice Sector Assistance Program within the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs at the US Department of State.
The workshop in the Bahamas follows two similar training sessions that DLA Piper lawyers conducted for police prosecutors in Trinidad and Tobago in February and May 2017. New Perimeter returned to the region in February 2018, when four DLA Piper lawyers delivered the same training to police prosecutors in Barbados.
"As with our prior work with police prosecutors in the region, our volunteers were impressed with the engagement, capabilities and enthusiasm of the police prosecutors in the Bahamas," said Robert Sherman, a partner in the firm's Boston office who participated in the project. "We are grateful for the opportunity to share our skills and experiences, and to learn from the experiences of the trainees."
In addition to Sherman, the DLA Piper team that traveled to the Bahamas to conduct the trainings included partners Monty Crawford (Baltimore), David Gross (San Francisco), and John Hillebrecht (New York) and associate Katie Hausfeld (Chicago).
