The Sixth Annual Janeen Kerper Trial Skills Academy welcomes approximately 80 attorneys from Latin American countries February 12 through 16. Sponsored by the Institute for Criminal Defense Advocacy and Proyecto ACCESO, the five-day program is designed to teach Spanish-speaking attorneys litigation skills.

“This is a truly diverse international group, which shows the strength of the adversarial legal system in places where it is relatively new,” says Director of the Institute for Criminal Defense Advocacy Justin Brooks. 

During the Trial Skills Academy, attorneys will become more efficient in trial techniques and strategies through role-playing the defense and prosecution in a simulated case. Instructors are top Spanish-speaking criminal attorneys from all around the U.S. In the past, their instruction has helped train some of the best trial lawyers from Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Dominican Republic.

“We are not only exporting a set of practical skills to legal professionals in other countries, we are spreading the positive aspects of our legal culture,” says Assistant Dean for Mission Development and Director of Proyecto ACCESO Jamie Cooper.