The emerging advocacy skills gap

Across many firms, trainees are qualifying with strong technical knowledge but fewer opportunities to develop practical advocacy experience. At the same time, expectations on junior lawyers are shifting.

Newly qualified solicitors are increasingly required to:

• Handle hearings and procedural matters earlier
• Engage directly with clients and counterparties
• Communicate positions clearly and persuasively

This combination — reduced exposure alongside increased responsibility — is creating a noticeable capability gap at the point of qualification.

What has changed in training pathways?

Traditional training routes once provided more consistent exposure to contentious work. Trainees were more likely to attend hearings, observe experienced advocates, and gradually build confidence through real-world experience.

Today, that experience is far less predictable. Many trainees:

• Have limited opportunities to attend court
• Rarely conduct their own hearings
• Spend a greater proportion of time on transactional or advisory work
• Qualify through routes that do not guarantee advocacy exposure

At the same time, the SQE has introduced a centralised assessment model designed to ensure consistent standards. However, assessment is not the same as experience.

While SQE2 evaluates advocacy in a structured environment, preparing for assessment is very different from developing confidence in practice. Firms are therefore seeing newly qualified solicitors who have demonstrated competence in exams, but who may still require support when applying those skills in real situations.

For supervisors and teams, this can increase the level of support required when junior lawyers are involved in hearings, negotiations or complex client interactions.

Advocacy skills matter beyond the courtroom

Advocacy is often viewed as a specialist litigation skill. In practice, it underpins a wide range of core capabilities expected of junior lawyers across all practice areas.

Effective advocacy training supports the development of:

• Clear, structured thinking and case analysis
• Persuasive communication with clients and counterparties
• Negotiation skills and commercial judgement
• Questioning and listening techniques
• Confidence under pressure
• Professional presence and credibility

These capabilities are used daily — in meetings, internal discussions, negotiations and written work — not just in court.

For L&D teams, advocacy training is therefore not only about preparing trainees for hearings. It is about developing well-rounded professionals who can communicate effectively and represent the firm with confidence.

A structured approach to advocacy development

As informal “learning by doing” becomes less reliable, structured training plays an increasingly important role in capability development.

A staged advocacy programme allows trainees to build skills progressively, moving from foundational knowledge to practical application and realistic simulation.

Stage 1: Building the foundation (eLearning)

Participants develop core understanding, including:

• Ethical and procedural considerations
• Case analysis and case theory
• Preparing structured submissions
• Witness handling techniques

This stage ensures learners understand both the principles and the purpose behind effective advocacy.

Stage 2: Developing core skills (interactive training)

Trainees then move into practical application, focusing on:

• Examination-in-chief and cross-examination exercises
• Preparing and delivering submissions
• Structured questioning and presentation skills
• Transferable advocacy techniques for client and negotiation settings

This stage helps translate theory into practical capability.

Stage 3: Applying advocacy in practice (simulation)

The programme culminates in a realistic scenario, where participants:

• Apply advocacy skills in a structured setting
• Conduct witness examinations
• Deliver submissions
• Receive detailed tutor feedback

This practical experience is often the most valuable stage in building confidence and embedding learning.

Why firms are investing now

Firms are increasingly prioritising advocacy training for trainees and newly qualified solicitors. The benefits are both immediate and longer-term.

For firms

• More confident and capable junior lawyers
• Improved client communication and handling
• Stronger preparation and case strategy
• Reduced supervision burden
• Greater consistency across trainee cohorts

For trainees and newly qualified solicitors

• Increased confidence in hearings and meetings
• Stronger professional presence
• Improved communication and persuasion skills
• Greater career flexibility and progression

What this means for firms

As training environments continue to evolve, firms need to take a more structured approach to developing advocacy capability.

Rather than relying on variable on-the-job exposure, structured programmes provide a consistent way to build the skills junior lawyers need to operate effectively from the point of qualification.

For L&D teams reviewing early-career development pathways, advocacy training offers a practical way to strengthen communication, confidence and professional capability across both contentious and non-contentious practice areas.

Find out more

If you are reviewing advocacy capability across your trainees or newly qualified solicitors, we would be happy to share further detail on how structured advocacy programmes can support practical skills development and early-career progression.