"Defending Suspects at the Investigative Stage"

?

Dear Colleague,

??????????? Representing Suspects at the Investigative Stage

An 8-hour CPD-accredited course, and an essential tool in the armoury of criminal defence work.

I am a Barrister and a Duty solicitor, with 33 years of experience as a criminal practitioner

Defending a suspect at the investigative stage is the start of any adversarial criminal process in any democratic country. This is a difficult and arguably the most important aspect of the proceedings, per LCJ Taylor in R vs Paris, Abdullahi and Miller:

“A solicitor fulfilling the exacting duty of assisting a suspect during interviews should follow the guidance and discharge his function responsibly and courageously. Otherwise, his presence might actually be a disservice.”

You can only discharge your duties if you have the right tool kit with you. I have extensive experience in taking responsibility for cases from the cradle to the grave. I represent clients from when they arrive at the police station to their appearance in the court of appeal, not to mention the Magistrates, Youth and Crown Courts, at all stages of the proceedings.

This is a course that I will be delivering via live interactive classes online. This course will equip you with a toolkit to expand your practice to undertake work from the inception with confidence, subject to passing the request process to undertake publicly funded work.

Those who undertake litigation work in solicitors’ officer cannot afford not to be an Accredited Representative and there are no Professional restrictions for the members of the Bar to attend to defend suspects at the investigative stage.

The chambers can and should create their own litigation branch to generate their own home-grown work. The newcomers to the Bar should embrace the opportunity to bring their own work thereby enhancing their potential to secure a pupillage and a tenancy in the competitive market.

This is an 8-hour long (minimum) course.

At the end of the course, you have to consider a scenario and participate in the discussion. I will provide you with a police station booklet which I developed way back in the 1990s when I had my own solicitors firm called the Greesman & Co. Solicitors. It remains a powerful tool in my arsenal.

What you will get from this course:

?? CPD-accredited 8-hour course, personally delivered online

?? Upon completion of the course, your certificate from the CPD certification service.

?? Facets of the of the job -An over view

?? An analysis of a scenario to consider how theory and practice go hand in hand

?? The Categories of People for Public funded work-The Qualification

?? Your Brief & Limitation of your brief

?? Understanding the words of LCJ Taylor

?? The Hostile environment and your image.

?? Understanding Professional Ethics

?? The Characters and Participants at this stage of the proceedings

?? Roles and Responsibilities- who can do what

?? Access to client- Contacting police

?? Arrest and Detention

?? Rights and entitlements

? Youth and Vulnerable

?? Advice to client on phone

?? Decision to attend or not.

?? Disclosure- what you are entitled to and how to corner the officer.

?? ?Conference with the client and how to go about. - Dos and Don’t

?? The client’s instructions and Your advice -How to decide.

?? The Interview and the implication of LCJ Taylors words

?? What and when you can object and advice during interview

?? Dealing with Professional embarrassment in the interview

?? Receiving instructions and your client

?? Your legal knowledge

?? Special categories and safeguarding

?? Custody Time limits and extensions

?? Specific Officers with their responsibilities and Duties.

?? Incommunicado

?? Taking of Sample

?? When ID procedure should take place and

?? Exclusion of the solicitor

?? Case Disposals

?? Surveillance procedure

?? How to make Complaints.

?? Co-Defendants.

?? A case study – analysis of a scenario

?? A police station booklet for you to take away and use as an aide memoire

?? Best Practice

?? Finally, my 33 years of experience as a criminal practitioner

.There are a limited number of candidates that I will accept for each day due to the intensity of the program. I have scheduled three days:

?

i.?????????????? 7th October 2023

ii.????????????? 21st October 2023

iii.??????????? 4th November 2023

?

There is a cancellation fee calculated on a sliding scale, from 10% for cancellation within 36 hours to 90% for 24 hours prior to the date of the course.

Although the company and the CPD Certification is in the name of Seeking Justice Ltd, the trading name is “Armchair Criminal”.

I look forward to seeing you.

Thank you.

Ravindra Chandrapala (Ravi)

Barrister – Member of the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple

Duty Solicitor since 1995 and a Supervisor for Criminal Defence Work.

?