The Barrister's Warm-Up

Punch Team
Oct 10
3 min read

Updated: Oct 17

Actors and barristers share something surprising. They both need to command a room and tell a compelling story. What's the difference? Barristers focus on the art of law. Actors focus on the art of performance. By combining the two, a winning formula for legal advocacy is created.

We have spent the last 12 years, ten of which in collaboration with the Hong Kong Advocacy Training Council, adapting The Actor's Approach and theatre techniques to courtroom advocacy.

Here are some quick wins to help you present legal arguments with authority, clarity, and persuasive power, ensuring your advocacy skills achieve maximum impact in any legal forum.

Step 1: Focus your MIND

Actors never go onstage without an objective. Yours? One clear sentence: "I want the court to..." Say it aloud. Feel how it sharpens everything else in your courtroom presentation.
What's your client's "everything"? Name it in one line. Actors call this "emotional loading". It fuels authentic urgency in legal communication.

Theatre secret: It's not about you, it's all about the audience.

Step 2: Draft your TEXT

Every legal argument needs a clear path, a 'Roadmap’ to guide the judge logically and compellingly to your desired conclusion.

Tell the Judge where you are going – Introduce your Roadmap (purpose, desired outcome and agenda). Say it concisely. The court will thank you.
Take them there – deliver your narrative in a chronological, selective and evidently grounded manner. Plan your key points, not every word.
Tell them where you have arrived – weave the facts and law together, explaining why they meet (or fail to meet) the legal test.
Test yourself: Record your opening line. Play it back. If it doesn't land immediately, simplify it.

Theatre secret: Like actors, the best advocates know where they're going, even if they have to improvise along the journey. Clarity beats complexity every time.

Step 3: Warm up your VOICE

Six physiological sighs (two quick inhales, one long exhale). Broadway performers swear by this vocal technique. It calms without dulling your edge. Maintains gravitas beautifully.
Take your killer line. Deliver it three ways: newsreader neutral, gentle teacher, commanding director. You'll feel which one will land perfectly once you say it out loud!

Theatre secret: Let the words do the work

Step 4: Watch your BODY language

Place your feet hip-width apart, weight centred, chest open. What actors call "neutral ready." Move only with purpose. Each step should punctuate a point, not burn nervous energy during legal arguments.
No jazz hands in the courtroom. Gestures live between the navel and the chest, palms visible for effective advocacy communication.

Theatre secret: “Suit the action to the word, the word to the action” – can you guess who said that?

Step 5: Put it all together in your PERFORMANCE

Our final top tip - before you walk into the courtroom, be sure to:

Warm-up > Get out of your head and into your body
Trust your training. Get off your notes.

Theatre secret: Slow down – pace is presence

We get asked these a lot....

Will this work for urgent applications?

Absolutely. Even 2 minutes of breath work and intention-setting beats rushing in cold to any legal presentation.

What if I feel silly doing theatre exercises?

Every KC started somewhere. These techniques have powered performances from the Globe to the Old Bailey.

Key Takeaway: The most compelling advocates prepare like performers. Ten minutes of theatrical warm-up creates hours of courtroom confidence.

Ready to Level Up?

The team at Punch Presentations brings decades of theatre expertise to legal advocacy training, combined with over 10 years of collaboration with the Hong Kong Advocacy Training Council. Perfect for pupil barristers, junior barristers, and experienced advocates looking to enhance their courtroom communication skills.

Or, take a quick win Presence Audit for personalised techniques for your style and circuit.

Take the next step...