Expert-led Witness Preparation
Why Evident
Witness Preparation by Evident
Best in class
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Evident is a leader in witness preparation and expert witness training. We are the only Hong Kong witness preparation provider that combines top-notch training from experts in the field, including senior barristers, judges and arbitrators, performance coaches, and psychologists. Our training is designed to help prepare witnesses to give their testimony with poise, clarity, and confidence.
Our trainers have decades of courtroom, arbitration and tribunal practice at all levels examining, cross-examining and commenting on witnesses. Most of our trainers are also experienced in teaching advocacy, so they bring that extra effectiveness to our witness preparation. Many are bilingual. Our founding leading counsel and senior barrister and their hand-picked barrister trainer colleagues are uniquely placed and equipped to enable witnesses to know what to expect in court so as to de-mystify the experience, to experience real and sustained cross-examination in a safe and private environment and help them to feel confident when called on.
Delivering Confidence
Our courses deliver confidence that comes from personal and mental comfort. Evident Plus enables a special insight into the mental and emotional aspects of witness performance by bringing in a top performance or clinical psychologist to see and work with the witness and the barrister. Extra prior or subsequent sessions with the psychologist can also be arranged on request.
Performance Trainers
Basic communication skills are vital to avoid obfuscation or distraction. Evident recognises this and we bring in skilled performance and communications trainers to enable the witness comfortably to communicate his or her evidence to the tribunal. Our trainers come from the public speaking and acting worlds to help the way in which the witness can deliver the evidence. Many of these coaches have also trained barristers. This “human presentation” and communication advice proves invaluable to anxious or reluctant witnesses.
A Different Approach
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Evident’s witness preparation courses help lawyers and their clients by enabling their potential witnesses to deliver evidence with clarity and confidence in courts, arbitrations and tribunals including as the Lands Tribunal, the Market Misconduct Tribunal and the Buildings Appeal Tribunal and other regulatory and quasi-judicial proceedings.
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Evident helps witnesses by familiarising them with the process, showing them what they have to do and why and, with the benefit of a communications coach, helping them to understand how they can be at their best in the challenging environment of the witness box.​ Then, after a learning discussion, the witness is cross-examined in real time by an experienced barrister.
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The session is recorded on video and reviewed by the barrister and communications coach. If Evident Plus has been chosen, the psychologist will also take part. Strengths and weaknesses are identified and a personalised framework for training is drawn up. This is usually at a stage when Evident’s assessment can assist in making strategic decisions about the case.
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Evident can provide barristers of senior and silk levels to cross examine, depending on the level chosen, and can also bring in a judge, recorder or retired judge to take part in the session.
Evident sends every witness a personalised framework note afterwards, including main points from each of the specialists. Depending on the level chosen and need, Evident’s trainers can be made available to go over the framework with the witness and further sessions can be arranged.
Ten reasons why you should use Evident.
01.
Only lay witness familiarisation programme in Hong Kong
02.
Only witness familiarisation programme available in Cantonese and Mandarin as well as English.
04.
Courses designed by senior counsel and experienced senior barristers, with training experience.
03.
Only witness familiarisation programme in Hong Kong that includes experienced judges and arbitrators.
05.
Courses are designed specifically for Hong Kong courts, tribunals, and arbitrations.
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06.
Our trainers are all senior practising barristers or SCs and experienced performance coaches in Hong Kong. Evident chooses them for their published expertise in their particular fields and cross-examination skills.
07.
The only witness familiarisation in Hong Kong that brings in performance coaches who identify and help with communications, presentation and confidence. Evident also has available specialist psychologists, arbitrators and retired judges
08.
Conflict checks are performed before any trainers are assigned to ensure confidentiality.
09.
Witness familiarisation is entirely legal in Hong Kong, unlike ‘witness coaching’ (see HKSAR v Chiang Lily & Ors [2013] 3 HKLRD 18 at §82). All our barrister trainers are prohibited from training on the particular issues in a case by their Code of Conduct and Evident's strict policies​
10.
Our courses are carefully designed to comply with the strict requirements of the law and the legal profession as to content and conduct, including supervision by qualified and licensed legal professionals (barristers or solicitors) with the requisite expertise.