Strengthening courtroom advocacy and legal practice skills is key to ensuring that justice remains fair, efficient, and accessible for all. That commitment to professional excellence recently took Vanuatu lawyer Linda Bakokoto to Australia, where she completed the Victorian Bar Readers Course — one of the most highly regarded legal advocacy programs in the region.
Linda, who serves as a solicitor at the Office of the Public Solicitor (OPS), was among 60 participants in the six-week program held at Owen Dixon Chambers in Melbourne. The training focused on courtroom advocacy, written and oral submissions, ethics, and professional responsibility — all crucial skills for effective legal representation.
Her participation was supported by the Australian Government through the Vanuatu–Australia Policing and Justice Program, in partnership with the Victorian Bar.
“Advocacy is a skill you can never fully grasp because court rules differ across jurisdictions,” Linda explained. “Having a high level of advocacy skills means our clients are better represented in court. Advocacy comes back to promoting access to justice because it means you’re representing your client’s interests at an appropriate and professional level.”
As the training officer at OPS and a Victorian Bar Accredited Advocacy Trainer, Linda’s goal was to strengthen her knowledge to train and mentor her colleagues in Vanuatu. She emphasized that strong courtroom advocacy directly benefits the public by improving how cases are prepared, argued, and decided.
“You may know your client’s case but communicating it to the court properly and understanding the law of evidence are very important,” she said.
The course also provided Linda with invaluable mentorship from senior members of the Victorian Bar — support that continues beyond the classroom.
“Being part of that network is important because I can seek assistance or direction from them anytime,” she added. “It’s very effective and builds a lasting professional network.”
Linda described the experience as “demanding but rewarding,” noting that the Victorian Bar represents one of the highest professional standards in Australia and internationally. She becomes the 29th Ni-Vanuatu lawyer to complete the course and sign the overseas roll — the first from Vanuatu to do so since 2011.
Back home, Linda is already applying her new expertise by training other lawyers on areas such as the Evidence Act 2025, helping to strengthen legal capacity across the justice system.
“My hope is that this support continues because it plays a very important part in capacity development for the justice sector in Vanuatu,” she said.
Through initiatives like this, Vanuatu and Australia’s legal partnership continues to build stronger institutions, improve advocacy standards, and ensure that justice remains fair and accessible for everyone in the Pacific.
Photo supplied.
