Criminal law solicitors enjoy advocacy and their appetite for training in it seems inexhaustible.

The new area of advocacy training for solicitors is in High Court work.

Although the doors to the Crown Court have not yet been battered down by solicitors seeking High Court rights, solicitors are more interested in qualifying than the number of successful applicants so far would suggest.

The expense and difficulty of qualifying and the problems in exercising the rights once they are obtained are well known, but initiatives are being taken to overcome these hurdles.

Advocacy skills are amongst those which practising solicitors are most eager to refine and about which they are least confident.

Of the London Criminal Courts Solicitors Association's (LCCSA) many courses, its advocacy sessions are always popular.

Advocacy is a demanding business, and a lack of competency can be all too humiliatingly obvious.

Solicitors recognise a need to improve their techniques and are keen to develop their expertise.Many think that the examination standards are too demanding.

The failure rate has, indeed, been high.

On investigating the shortcomings of examinees, the chief examiner discovered how hard it is for solicitors to return to study and examinations after many years while holding down a demanding j ob.

However, the improvement in written homework set on the LCCSA course over five weeks was dramatic, showing that with practice experienced magistrates' court advocates could do very well in essay writing and multiple choice questions.At one of the LCCSA's recent courses to help with preparation for the Crown Court rights examination there were 18 registered participants.

The course was not extensively advertised and was convenient only for those in the London area -- though some hardy delegates came quite a distance.

Those who had exemption from the exams wanted to revise their skills; others attended the course to help them decide whether or not to qualify.

Early next year the LCCSA will run a course for Crown Court practitioners who have qualified via the exemption route.

They are often hesitant about their first steps in the Crown Court, despite years of effective advocacy in magistrates' courts.

However ill-founded their fears, there is a demand for practical training to encourage confidence.Continuing professional development training is often provided for solicitors by solicitors; this is particularly so for the LCCSA.

All of its trainers practise on a daily basis and the courses aim to be a shared experience rather than a straightforward teaching programme.

The LCCSA provides seminars and discussion groups, but the new Crown Court course will probably include some video work and role playing.

Advocacy is partly a question of not looking down.

If, in the pursuit of improvement, advocates become over-conscious of what they are doing, they risk ending up in a worse position that the one in which they started.

Self-confidence is a vital part of the equation, and training needs to be devoted to support and enhance this.

Advocacy is hard to teach.

The best advocates do not have a lot in common beyond rigorous and meticulous preparation, depth of legal knowledge and confidence.

Some have an enthusiastic and robust style, some use quiet persuasion, others wring tears from the eyes.

You cannot teach a dry, witty speaker to be an impassioned dramatist.

Integrity is a vital component.

Effective advocacy training must coax out the advocate from within.

This must be done with caution and sensitivity.

The profession's demand for ever more training indicates how hard it is to provide just what is required.Solicitors venturing into the Crown Court sometimes need more than training.

The involvement and support from the profession as a whole can be a great help.

The David Napley Prize (jointly sponsored by Kingsley Napley and the LCCSA), which is awarded to the best advocate on the compulsory course for aspiring Crown Court advocates, is an example of the sort of encouragement that can be offered.

The training of advocates is a tricky business, but if we are to exploit our opportunities to compete with the Bar on more-or-less equal terms, the profession must commit itself to supporting its higher court advocates in every way.