Clinicians from Krasnoyarsk in Human Rights Academy

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Last Updated on Wednesday, 06 April 2016 12:04

Winter school for legal clinics students “Human Rights Academy” took place from January 31^st to February 5^th 2016 in Saint Petersburg. This is annual event that is held by Saint Petersburg Prince P.G. Oldenburg Law institute since 1999.

This time, school was dedicated to participation in jury skills development.

Krasnoyarsk was represented by two Law clinic students and one graduate on that school. Here are their impressions of participation:

Tatyana Galeeva, Law clinic graduate, master’s degree program “Barrister in litigation”

Winter school has reminded me our training with barrister at the beginning of the year. I think it helped me to some extent and I knew what to pay attention to, what to start from. However, sometimes I kept falling for the same bait and did the same mistakes as in our first masters’ game. It was very interesting and useful to plunge in working for almost real case for 4 days. I liked the way the work was organized. Before we started work on our primary case (position’s development, interviewing, working with proofs) mini-trainings were carried out. During them we could transmit obtained skills to our primary case. Thanks to school court proceedings with jury became clearer to me. Thereare some features and subtleties. It is great that organizers took jurors, who had absolutely nothing in common with law, to the final hearing. They were of different professions and ages. It was particularly interesting to listen to their opinions and censorious remarks after the trial ended. This was entirely useful not only for us, but for the trainers as well. After all, in real trial you cannot stop jurors to ask: “So what do you think?” Also was a pleasure to speak in person to people of different professions who sincerely answered to all our questions.

Anna Boitsova, staff member of Law Clinic

I have participated in law school for the first time and now I can confidently say that these 5 days for me have become the most rememberable, absorbing and productive for the whole period of my education.

At Winter school “Human Rights Academy” our team could feel themselves as real barristers in litigation with the participation of jury. Particularly during the School I understood, what the profession of barrister means. We worked out the position on a case, examined a client, formed right questions for examination and cross-examination. In parallel with the self-study of a case, we also had lectures-trainings, where we worked through different skills: case analyses, court examination, etc. As the result of this manner of work, I realized which skills I need to develop. 

I very thankful to organizers for giving us an opportunity to communicate with each other, adopt experience, get advises from Sergey Travin, Arkady Gutnikov, Maxim Drangevsky, Evgeny Rubinstein and others. They were our trainers and helped us giving advises. All of them are professionals in their business and when you look at them, you want to work at self-improvement, study to become successful, popular and devoted to their work as they are.

Alina Babushkina, a trainee of the Law Clinic

During the five days of “Human rights Academy” Winter School we had time to acquire practically oriented knowledge of criminal procedure, participate in jury trial, make interesting acquaintances. We attended the presentations devoted to the practical skills necessary for handling a case and then tried to apply them working in small groups. I have remembered “Little Red Riding Hood” case especially. School trainers and assistants initiated it to demonstrate the course of court hearing: the defendant Volkov was accused of murder, dismembering and eating of Little Red Riding Hood and her grand-mother. Moreover, I was very pleased of the School ending: after the court hearing took place and jurors rendered their decision we discussed in detail the outcome. Something was performed properly, some do not and I think each of us have made certain conclusions.  Afterwards we all together (both instructors as well as students) were invited on the buffet dinner where we could communicate informally. Regarding activities of such kind I like the most that you are being charged by energy from interesting and passion-ate instructors-trainers. Intense longing to learn and engage in self-development have been rising and it should be realized after return from the School as soon as possible.

Translated by Irina Rykovanova, Sergey Nikitenko, Maksim Grebnev