Hydra: A Creative Training Tool for Critical Legal Advocacy and Ethics

Hydra: A Creative Training Tool for Critical Legal Advocacy and Ethics

Sara Ramshaw, Associate Professor, University of Victoria Faculty of Law, Canada
Information session: 31 July – 1pm – 2pm | room 609, level 6

Workshop: 4 August – 1pm - 5pm | room 920, level 9

Interested in mooting and oral advocacy? Or have an ear for improvisation? The Institute for International Law and the Humanities is privileged to be hosting Dr Sara Ramshaw (University of Victoria), who will be running a pilot of her innovative legal advocacy workshop Hydra on the afternoon of August 4, with a lunchtime information session from 1pm on July 31.

Traditional moot court or legal advocacy training is often criticised for failing to adequately prepare advocates to be nimble-footed in the courtroom and able to respond quickly and responsively to unpredictable situations. In contrast, Hydra, an improvised “game piece” created by Dr Ramshaw’s research team at Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland, requires participants to be Hydra-headed and skilled at rapidly analysing a legal issue from a variety of angles and perspectives, teaching advocates to be prepared for the unexpected.

The background and pedagogical significance of Hydra will be explained in a lunchtime session on July 31, 2017. For students interested in “playing” Hydra, a second session has been scheduled for the afternoon of August 4, 2017 to enable students to do so. This second session will require some preparation in terms of reading the statement of facts and witness statements upon which the practice session will focus. However, no knowledge of the actual law in this area is required. Just a desire to hone one’s argumentative/advocacy skills in a fun and non-competitive atmosphere.

If you would like further details on Hydra, please see http://translatingimprovisation.com/hydra.