CALL FOR APPLICATIONS — training for criminal defence advocates — in VILNIUS

netpralat.eu

The Polish Bar Council`s call for training for criminal defence advocates “Protection of suspects’ rights during pre-trial detention and interrogation: Practical training for defence lawyers — Train-the-trainer course” within the NETPRALAT project.

looking for: 3 participants — advocates practicing in the Polish jurisdiction

when: 10–12 June 2019 (travel dates on 9th and 12h of June)

venue: Vilnius, Lithuania

deadline for application: 13th of May 2019

“Train the Trainer — training course for criminal defence advocates” is one of the phases of the international project NETPRALAT. The Polish Bar Council is one of the partners of NETPRALAT being actively involved in its implementation.

ABOUT NETPRALAT

Procedural rights of suspects during pre-trial detention and interrogations have been strengthened in recent European legislation (so-called procedural rights’ Directives). This legislation imposes specific duties and requirements on the lawyer during these stages, for example to play an active role during suspect interrogations in pre-trial proceedings. In view of these new requirements, the EU-funded project NetPraLat (NETworking to strengthen pre-trial procedural rights by PRActice-oriented cross-border LAwyers Training), a collaboration of CICAC (Barcelona Bar Council), Maastricht University, Iridia (Spain), Human Rights Monitoring Institute (HRMI) and Polish Bar Council (Naczelna Rada Adwokacka), implement a training programme aimed to enhance practical skills of lawyers in providing an effective defence during pre-trial stages of the criminal proceedings. The program builds on the experiences of the SUPRALAT project (“Strengthening suspects’ rights in pre-trial proceedings through practice-oriented training for lawyers”) implemented in 2015–2017 in Belgium, Hungary, Ireland and Holland.

For more information about NetPraLat project, visit: netpralat.eu

APPLICATION PROCESS

Interested advocates who meet the eligibility criteria for participation are asked to apply by sending the short questionnaire to the email: dyrektor@nra.pl

The questionnaire is available here.

There is space only for 3 participants for the training in Vilnius. The deadline for application is 13th of May 2019.

The call for application for the the next training in Barcelona will be announced shortly after the selection process for the training in Vilnius will be finalised.

ABOUT “TRAIN THE TRAINER” — training for criminal defence advocates

Training objective

The objective of the training is to:

• improve the theoretical knowledge and practical skills of criminal defence lawyers, which are necessary for the effective exercise of their professional role during pre-trial procedural stages, more specifically in advising clientsand the protection of clients’ rights during the phase of detention and interrogation;
• develop legal and communication skills in the context of lawyer-client consultations at the pre-trial stages and in the context of pre-trial interrogations;
• address the psycho-social needs of detained clients and the cooperation with interpreters (in case of foreign clients) in separate modules.

The program aims to foster the development of active, reflective and client-centred practice of criminal defence.

The train the trainer program

The training will be first delivered in the cross-border train-the-trainer format. It will take place on 10–12 June 2019 in Vilnius. The program will be delivered in English by former trainers of the Supralat project and by other project partners. Lawyers from Estonia, France, Lithuania, Portugal, Poland and Spain will participate in the training.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR PARTICIPANTS

The training is meant for criminal defence advocates:

• practicing in the Polish jurisdiction;
• having practical experience in running criminal cases;
• having experience in running trainings;
• being able to effectively communicate in English;
• being ready to act as a trainer-multiplier of gained competences and training lawyers at the local level in Poland;
• being active or interested in the field of protection of suspects’ rights during pre-trial detention and interrogation;
• be prepared to reflect upon and develop their practical skills as a lawyerand trainer;
• being available to take part in the whole duration of the training.

Dates and location

The ‘train the trainer’ program consists of an e-learning phase of two weeks followed by the face-to-face sessions of three days.

The ‘train-the-trainer’ program will be delivered three times in three different locations to three different groups of participants.

• Maastricht, Netherlands: 8–10 May
• Vilnius, Lithuania: 10–12 June
• Barcelona, Spain: 9–11 July.

However, this call is dedicated only to select participants for the second training in VILNIUS on 10–12 June 2019.

Costs of the train-the-trainer project

Participation in the training is free of charge. Travel costs (up to a certain limit established by the European Commission) including accommodation will be reimbursed for participants traveling more than 100 km to the training location. Meals will be provided during the training free of charge for all participants.

STRUCTURE AND THE CONTENT OF THE TRAINING

The training program begins with the e-learning phase of two weeks, followed by face-to-face sessions.

THEORETICAL PART

The theoretical part of the training (delivered mostly via e-learning) will cover the following topics:

• The role of the lawyer during the pre-trial (investigative) stage of the criminal proceedings, especially with regard to (police and pre-trial) detention and interrogation of the suspect, including the implications of the recent European legislation on the role of the lawyer;
• The importance and meaning of active, reflective and client-centred professional practice of criminal defence;
• The relationship between lawyers and investigative authorities: the importance of effective communication to achieve the lawyers’ professional objectives;
• (Recognition of) the psycho-social needs of (detained) clients and various vulnerabilities linked to the participation in the criminal proceedings, and particularly detention and interrogation;
• (Recognition of) the various interrogation techniques and tactics used during suspect interrogations, and effective intervention of a lawyer during interrogation (to counter excessive pressure or improper questioning techniques and protect suspect’s rights);
• (Definition of) basic communication skills that lawyers need to effectively fulfull their professional role during detention and interrogation of suspect (e.g. to with the client’s trust, effectively inform about rights and procedural options, obtain relevant information from the suspect and law enforcement authorities, effectively negotiate the desired procedural outcomes for clients…);
• (In respect of foreign clients) Interpretation during the investigative stages of the proceedings: quality requirements, cooperation lawyer-interpreter, etc.

PRACTICAL PART

In the practical part of the training the participants will train the following skills:

• Engaging into ‘reflective practice’ with respect to their professional role during the pre-trial (investigative) stage of the proceedings;
• Identifying and addressing/acting upon the psycho-social needs and the potential vulnerabilities of their clients;
• Recognising various interrogation strategies and tactics, including improper questioning, and reacting to these strategies and tactics (in the interest of the defence);
• Identifiyng the need for interpretation at the pre-trial procedural stages, working with the interpreter and judging the quality of interpretation;
• Communication skills and techniques, which were addressed in the theorerical part, including those aiming at the development of effective working relationship with the police and client;
• Communication techniques for effective intervention during interrogation of the suspect.

The practical part consists of interactive exercises including roleplays simulating actual lawyer-client consultations and suspect interrogations.

METHODOLOGY

The program is designed by a multi-disciplinary team, which consisted of criminal defence lawyers, academics, psychologists and experts in adult professional education and learing.

The training is based on the following didactic principles:

• Blended learning
• Collaborative and peer-to-peer learning
• Active, constructive and interactive learning
• Authentic learning.

In the face-to-face sessions, participants will take part in roleplays simulating the real situations that lawyers encounter at police stations, such as lawyer-client consultation or suspect interrogation. Professional actors and police officers will act as other participants.

Further information

In case of further questions, please contact the Polish Coordinator of the NETPRALAT project: Agata Stajer (agata.stajer@gmail.com)

More information about the project can be found on the website of the NETPRALAT project and the Facebook page.

NETPRALAT project has been funded by the European Union’s Justice Programme(2014–2020).

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