I have been involved in a number of activities in my placement at Wright Chambers, mostly to do with criminal matters rather than civil. I have accompanied Nick and a client to the Hindley Street Police Station. We met with Nick’s client and the client’s wife outside of the station and Nick gave him some brief directions about not saying anything, even if he believed it would help his situation. Remembering Kay Lauchland’s reading, I tried to establish a rapport with the pair, and build client comfort. Nick left the three of us for some time, and I spoke to the pair at some length. I tried to be polite, professional, but friendly, and engaged them in casual conversation to put them at ease. Manner is important to maintain specifically where the crime of which they are suspected is particularly heinous. Lauchland discusses a number of exercises for good communication, which I like to think of as ‘threading’. For example, the couple and I discussed how windy Adelaide was, and that it was cold, whereas at their house, it was never windy. I took the ‘house’ thread, which was one of the only ones available, and asked them about their drive down. This is easy in a relaxed setting with friends, but it is a useful …show more content…
People can be very perceptive when they feel that they are being judged, and as defence counsel and accompanying Nick as I was, I had to make certain that I did not appear to be judging them. It was challenging for me to find an appropriate balance between polite without being too cold or too friendly. This is something that I am trying harder to maintain, and I need to remind myself when I’m in court or anywhere else where I have contact with anyone accused of a crime to remember my place and my role, and that it is for the trier of fact to determine whether a person is guilty or not