Voice and Performance Skills Training
for Courtroom Advocates
As Chairman of the UK Advocacy Training Council and as President of the International Advocacy Training Council, I have had the pleasure of working with Lucy Cornell and her team on 11 advocacy training courses, in 4 different jurisdictions over the past 8 years (2008 - 2016).
She makes an inspirational and invaluable contribution to every course in which she participates and has transformed, immeasurably, the quality of the training that we have been giving.
Edwin Glasgow CBE QC
Past Chairman of UK ATC and past President of IATC
Cornell Voice has an unique standing in courtroom advocacy training.
Cornell Voice has an unique standing in courtroom advocacy training.
We are the only consultancy who has spent 20 years teaching voice and performance skills in the world's leading courtroom advocacy training programs.
Over this time, we have:
* innovated a bespoke voice and performance methodology for advocates, Over this time, we have:
* tested and refined our methodology alongside the world's leading advocacy teachers,
* worked with hundreds of advocates applying these skills in the courtroom, and
* trained a specialist faculty of voice coaches to deliver this tailored approach.
We have brought voice and performance skills for advocates into focus with our accessible, relevant and integrated approach to courtroom advocacy training.
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Our Philosophy
Our Philosophy
Oral advocacy in court demands an energetic athleticism.
Oral advocacy is more than an intellectual act. It is also a physical, emotional, psychological and energetic act.
Most advocates are educated in the substantive matter of court, yet receive minimal education in voice or performance skills to manage this significant component of advocacy.
The courtroom is a construct designed to enable the fair carriage of justice. It is a physically dense, energetically charged space, so that justice is taken seriously.
Within this demanding environment, advocates are required to:
Presence, clarity of intention and influence is something we are all born with. It is the primary function of the natural voice.
However, through our formative life experiences, most adult voices become civilised carrying habits that limit the natural expressivity and influence of the voice. Unless, during your life, you were given ample opportunities to speak freely and expressively in the presence of others, most adults (including advocates) are not experienced, natural or charismatic advocates.
The art of bringing your voice, body, breath, thoughts and feelings into each moment of speaking is a skill that we need to relearn.
Oral advocacy is more than an intellectual act. It is also a physical, emotional, psychological and energetic act.
Most advocates are educated in the substantive matter of court, yet receive minimal education in voice or performance skills to manage this significant component of advocacy.
The courtroom is a construct designed to enable the fair carriage of justice. It is a physically dense, energetically charged space, so that justice is taken seriously.
Within this demanding environment, advocates are required to:
- think quickly and clearly on their feet
- argue their case dispassionately, yet persuade the court
- navigate the intellectual and emotional terrain of the case and their clients
- have emotional and intellectual versatility to deal with witnesses
- have the vocal expressivity to engage the jury
- have the intellectual agility to engage with the bench and their fellow advocates, and
- process this high energetic demand while being persuasive.
Presence, clarity of intention and influence is something we are all born with. It is the primary function of the natural voice.
However, through our formative life experiences, most adult voices become civilised carrying habits that limit the natural expressivity and influence of the voice. Unless, during your life, you were given ample opportunities to speak freely and expressively in the presence of others, most adults (including advocates) are not experienced, natural or charismatic advocates.
The art of bringing your voice, body, breath, thoughts and feelings into each moment of speaking is a skill that we need to relearn.
Our Methodology
Our Methodology
Our methodology draws on our training in the world's most recognised voice and performance techniques.
We understand the initial cynicism and fear that may occur when bringing an actor’s approach to a legal environment, so we have carefully adapted our approach so it is relevant to the courtroom and accessible to the advocate, while still honouring the integrity, philosophy and form of the work we have trained in.
We have an integrated approach to advocacy as we believe that oral advocacy is equally substantive and energetic.
For this reason, we typically work with advocates:
- individually outside the courtroom providing an opportunity to delve deeply into personal terrain and learn skills that will serve their needs
- then take them immediately into the court so they can apply their newly learned skills in the presence of others and experience the impact it has on the substantive matter and ultimately their various court audiences.
In this way, the participants learn through their own practical application and by watching others.
Our Coaching Process
Voice and performance coaching requires safety, subtlety and specificity. Our team enters into each session with humility, candidness and respect for relevance and context. Our coaching process is three-pronged.
Diagnose
We diagnose the need through discussion and observation.
Technique
We define the relevant technique that the advocate is ready to hear and able to apply.
Application
The advocate explores the technique practically facilitated by the performance coach in order to discover beyond their habitual limiting behaviours for increased impact in delivery.Voice and Performance Skills
Voice and Performance Skills
Preparation
- Being energetically, psychologically and emotionally prepared before court
- Warming up and down
- Arriving at the bar table
Presence
Presence
- Significance, gravitas, authenticity, holding court
- Conveying confidence
- Ensuring the argument is heard and understood
- Defining what energy you want to approach the witness with and having the versatility to adapt to this
Space
Space
- Establishing a home base for performance; moving the chair, managing notes and lectern, arranging the space
- Creating internal physical space to create space for breath and in turn for control
- Physical relaxation and alignment to manage physical, emotional and mental tension
- Physically commanding high status
Control
Control
- Staying in control under pressure
- Managing nerves
- Strategies to deal with performance anxiety
- Buying time under pressure
- Letting go of ego or attachment to an outcome that blinds you to what’s in front of you
- Regaining control of your argument when you are derailed
Body
Body
- Reading and interpreting body language
- Knowing what to do with you hands
- Expanding gestural range
- Using the space around you as a physical canvas to paint the picture
- Identifying unnecessary, habitual or unintentional physical movement
- Being grounded in your feet
- Physical alignment
- Eye contact
- Finding physical balance to demonstrate control
Voice
Voice
- Having an intention to be heard
- Filling the room vocally
- Speaking with volume
- Developing resonance to command the room
- Using variable texture, pitch and dynamics to communicate versatility for different audiences
- Relieving monotony
- Vocal energy - knowing what is permissible in court
- Slowing down to keep the audience with you
- Using silence to read what is happening between words and between people
- Pausing for effect or for control
Breath
Breath
- Identifying when and how breath is being held and the impact
- Understanding value of deep vs shallow breath
- Using breath to buy time
- Using breath to stay in control
- Using breath for richer vocal resonance
Words
Words
- Being clear in articulation and enunciation
- Speaking with conviction
- Choosing words deliberately
- Clearing away fillers and extraneous speech tics
- Telling the story
Connection
Connection
- Delivering the argument without notes
- Staying present with a witness and judge rather than reading ahead
- Being interested in the response
- Knowing when the witness or judge is with you or not
Witness Management
Witness Management
- Reading the witness or judge’s primal signals; colour change, physical behaviours, vocal tensions, breathing patterns
- Regaining control of a witness when you have lost it
- Being versatile in your energetic approach to the witness
- Controlling the emotional arc of the examination
- Regaining engagement with the judge
Our Experience
Our Experience
Our methodology of voice and performance skills for advocates has been delivered in six jurisdictions internationally since 2007.
Australia
Australia
2007 - 2025
The Cornell Voice advocacy coaching team have taught at every Australian Bar Association’s (ABA) Advanced Trial Advocacy Intensive since 2007, delivering plenary sessions, individual coaching sessions for all participants and in-court application sessions.
Lucy Cornell has also taught at the ABA’s Essential Trial Advocacy Course in Perth, the NSW and Victorian Bar Readers courses and the intensive annual ABA Appellate Course for senior barristers, for the Queensland Bar Association, Queensland Legal Aid, the NSW and Queensland Department of Public Prosecutions.
By invitation of the National Judiciary College of Australia, Lucy teaches Supreme Court judges on effective jury management and magistrates on the delivery of effective oral decisions. She has also introduced her team to the NJCA who now include 3 Cornell Voice performance coaches in these courses.
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
2011
Edwin Glasgow (Past Chairman of the International Advocacy Training Council - IATC) invited Lucy to deliver a plenary session on performance skills for the Advanced Trial Advocacy Course at Keble College in Oxford as run by the South Eastern Circuit in 2011, along with some individual coaching sessions.
South Africa
South Africa
2012, 2014, 2024
Lucy was invited to instigate voice and performance coaching for the General Council of the Bar of South Africa. During the Advanced Courses at Stellenbosch in 2012 and 2014, Lucy helped train up a local performance coach for ongoing courses who now teaches on the course annually.
In 2024, Lucy was invited to delivery a plenary session for the inaugural Prospective National Convenor’s Course to showcase the Cornell Voice Advocacy Methodology to international advocacy course convenors.
In 2024, Lucy was invited to delivery a plenary session for the inaugural Prospective National Convenor’s Course to showcase the Cornell Voice Advocacy Methodology to international advocacy course convenors.
Malaysia
Malaysia
2014
Lucy was invited to deliver a plenary session at the International Advocacy Training Council's inaugural conference in Kuala Lumpur on the value of performance skills for barristers.
Singapore
Singapore
2015, 2016, 2023
In 2015 and 2016, Lucy taught at the Law Society of Singapore’s Advocacy training course and managed additional performance coaching faculty of 2 each time. She also taught advocates at the Attorney General’s Chambers in Singapore in 2015 and in 2023.
New Zealand
New Zealand
2016
Lucy taught a voice and performance 2 day masterclass for 50 practicing barristers for the New Zealand Bar Association.
Our Team
Our Team
The Cornell Voice international advocacy coaching team is considered part of the international advocacy training community with strong relationships and experience across 6 jurisdictions.
Lucy Cornell founded, trained and continues to teach alongside our specialist voice and performance coaching team.
Each of the team has a minimum of 20 years of teaching experience and are internationally recognised as Masters of voice and performance. Their training has been with the world’s leaders in voice for acting: Kirstin Linklater, Cicely Berry, Catherine Fitzmaurice, Patsy Rodenburg, the legacy of Moshe Feldenkrais, Roy Hart and FM Alexander.
For instance, Kristin Linklater is recognised as the world’s leading authority in voice for actors. Training with her is a 5 year apprenticeship with now only 400 people in the world designated by her.
Five of the team have reached this accreditation and the other 2 have doctorates or are revered as Masters of voice and performance in their own right.
The team’s working with the voice spans teaching and live performance through executive coaching, keynote speaking, advocacy training, theatre direction, theatre school and university faculty leadership, actor training, main stage acting, studio recording and live singing performance.
Rebecca DuMaine
San Fransisco, USA
Julia Moody
Perth, Australia
Keely Eastley
Boston, USA
Amy Hume
Melbourne, Australia
Dr Tanya Gerstle
Melbourne, Australia
Corinna May
New York, USA
Melissa Healey
Florida, USA
Ben Katekar SC FCIArb
Sydney, Australia
Ben is a Sydney based Senior Counsel teaching substantive advocacy alongside our performance coaching team.
Ben has been teaching advocacy in Australia, South Africa and Asia since 2011 and is a member of the Australian Bar Association's Advocacy Training Council.
Our Programs
In-court masterclasses delivering tailored, sensible, relevant skills and feedback for better courtroom advocacy.
Performance and Delivery Skills in Court
A half day masterclass practicing delivery skills in a courtroom with the Cornell Voice Coaching Team.
Voice Skills for Female Advocates
A half day masterclass practicing delivery skills in a courtroom for female advocates with the Cornell Voice Coaching Team.
National Advocacy Program Integration
Integrated into National Intensive Advocacy Training Programs, our team works with each advocate in the review room and helps them integrate their learnings back into court.
Advanced Skills for Advocacy Trainers
Supporting advocacy trainers who teach at National Advocacy Programs to develop their voice and delivery for their in-court reviews.
360° Advocacy Skills for Arbitrators
2 Day Masterclass on substantive argument with Ben Katekar SC FCIArb and voice and performance skills with Lucy Cornell.
360° Advocacy Skills for Advocates
2 Day Masterclass on substantive argument with Ben Katekar SC FCIArb and voice and performance skills with Lucy Cornell.
Plenary Session
Lucy Cornell delivers a Plenary Session (up to 1 hour) on the voice and performance skills required for oral advocacy in court.
Testimonials
Testimonials
Lucy Cornell has been an inspiration to barristers in England and Australia. She helps them make their voices heard, and their presence felt, in court. Her brilliant techniques have been a revelation and are highly recommended to all those who aspire to practise the art of advocacy.
The Rt Hon Lord Mr. Justice Charles Haddon-Cave, QBD
Judge of the Court of Appeal and Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales
Past Chairman of the Advocacy Training Council of the Bar of England and Wales 2007–2010
Your contribution to the our Advanced Trial Advocacy Program in South Africa left an indelible impression on all who attended. For me this was not only because of your personal dynamism and the obvious success of your interventions, but also and more particularly because I have long maintained that the oral presentation of a case is an important yet generally underrated aspect of advocacy.
Of course these techniques can be taught, as you have shown. Voice and performance coaching should in my view form an integral part of all advocacy training.
In me you have an enthusiastic, if not fanatical supporter.
Justice Johann Kriegler
Former Constitutional Court and Appeal Court Judge, South Africa
As Chairman of the UK Advocacy Training Council and as President of the International Advocacy Training Council I have had the pleasure of working with Lucy Cornell and her team on 11 advocacy training courses, in 4 different jurisdictions over the past 8 years (2008 - 2016).
She makes an inspirational and invaluable contribution to every course in which she participates. She is not only technically outstanding as a performance coach but has a deep understanding of the philosophy which underlines the purpose and ethics of advocacy and has inexhaustible inter- personal skills and is hugely popular with all members of all the training faculties which she has joined and all the advocates, both young and old, with whom she has worked.
She has transformed, immeasurably, the quality of the training that we have been giving.
Edwin Glasgow CBE QC
Past Chairman of UK ATC and past President of IATC
Past Chairman of UK ATC and past President of IATC
Participant Experiences
Participant Experiences
Thank you so much for the fantastic program. I found it such a valuable experience. I had my first court appearance for the year today and I spent time before court applying techniques we worked on and I really did feel a greater sense of control and comfort heading into court.
Georgina, Junior Litigator
I loved the fact that we had very senior barristers together with very junior barristers showing up with and working together on the same issues.
Sarah Farnden SC, Senior Barrister
I was shocked how many, very intelligent, women were apologetic for existing in a court room. We need courses like yours to unlearn these behaviours, know that we belong and to learn how to command the room not apologise for being there.
Stephanie, Junior Barrister