Navigating the courts
Learn to navigate the labyrinth of the South African legal system!
• Do you understand legalese and Latin terms?
• Know the principles behind the rule of law?
• Do you understand the roles of the different players? - Attorneys, advocates, Judges, Magistrates, Prosecutors, state advocates, assessors and clerks
• Can you find your way around the various courts of the land?
Learn to navigate the labyrinth of the South African legal system!
The comprehensive, practical and theoretical four-day modular course, facilitated by top legal experts, will cover, in 20 intensive sessions:
• Practical experience in reporting a crucial Constitutional Court judgment;
• How legislation is prepared, tabled, goes through parliament and put into effect;
• How judges are appointed, disciplined and impeached;
• What the three arms of state are and what functions and powers fall in each sphere;
• How the legal profession, legislature and the judiciary function;
• What the difference is between legal terms, for instance a judgment, an order and a ruling;
• The differences between criminal and civil litigation;
• How to access and navigate complex court files, case dockets and documentation;
• The different proceedings, and how they differ - motion proceedings, trial proceedings, criminal proceedings and appeal proceedings; and,
• The new rules governing the use of cameras and audio recorders in court.
This course will be extremely interactive, using case studies and sample cases to ensure that you've not only hear the message, but put it into practice as well.
Once you have completed the course, you will be able to sniff out the legal stories, report comprehensively on the court cases, the enactment of law, and understand key laws that affect journalistic practice.
Who should attend:
The workshop will improve the knowledge of the law for all journalists from newspapers, magazines and internet publications. It is preferable that delegates should have experience in journalism or law to benefit from the content.
About the expert trainer:
Franny Rabkin graduated from the University of Cape Town in 2000 with BA and LLB degrees. She went on to become researcher to former Chief Justice Pius Langa (then Deputy Chief Justice) at the Constitutional Court. She did her articles at Bowman Gilfillan and was admitted as an attorney, practicing as an attorney for a further two years. She returned to university (this time Wits) to study Journalism. She works now as the Law and Constitution Writer for Business Day. She has twice won the Legal Journalist of the Year award and was runner up in Mondi Shanduka awards for opinion and analysis category.
Had something else in mind?
The IAJ are the media training specialists. If you can't find what you're looking for on our website, please contact our Writing Unit Manager, Sandra Roberts on 011 482 4990 or write@iaj.org.za to discuss your requirements.
Time: 09:00 - 16:00
Venue: Institute for the Advancement of Journalism, Johannesburg
More info:
Institute for the Advancement of Journalism
1 Richmond Forum, Cedar Avenue Richmond