At the behest of ABA Rule of Law Initiative’s program to strengthen the capacity of Egyptian public prosecutors, Professor Barbara Barron co-taught a course in Cairo from Feb. 14-21. The course was supported by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the U.S. Department of State and Egypt’s Public Prosecution Office.
The course, the Art of Advocacy, was designed to develop the prosecutors’ ability to more effectively advocate in trial proceedings. The Egyptian judiciary has encouraged the Public Prosecution Office to more actively participate in witness examinations and oral argument during the actual trial proceedings.
The course also was created to aid the prosecutors in more effectively prosecuting rape cases and sensitizing them to the issues of forcible rape and lack of consent.
Professor Barron, along with ABA ROLI and Public Prosecution Office instructors, taught 65 prosecutors over the course of the week. She led varied skills sessions in case analysis and theory development, in addition to team-teaching in areas such as cross-examination, interrogation of defendants, and case file presentations and pleadings.