The 2019 edition of the Advocacy Trainer is available for download and use by the public for training and educational purposes.  It consists of the Advocacy Trainer manual and 23 instructional video vignettes.  The manual contains links that allow you to view the videos directly from the manual.  The videos range from 5 to 15 minutes.

NOTE:  Registered users of JAGCNET should log in and download the Advocacy Trainer from the “Training” page.  The registered user’s version contains the manual and videos plus all of the appellate cases referenced in the manual.  The manual contains links to open the videos and cases directly from the manual.   
 

How to Download

1. Click here to download a ZIP file that contains the manual in PDF and the 23 instructional videos.  Save the ZIP file to your computer’s desktop or a network drive.  Depending on your network’s download speed, it may take an hour or longer to download the file.
    
2. After the download is complete, right click on the ZIP file icon and then select “Extract All.”  Then select the destination where you want to save the unzipped version of the file (i.e., your desktop or a network drive).
    
3. After the unzipped file is saved to your desktop or network drive, open the file and you will see the PDF manual and a folder containing the videos.  (At this point, you can delete the ZIP version of the file.)        
    
4. You can now begin using the 2019 Advocacy Trainer PDF manual.
    

Using the Manual

On the Table of Contents page, click on a chapter to jump directly to that chapter.  On the next page, click on any of the video vignette titles to view that video using your computer’s media player.  Links to the videos are also available within the manual where the particular videos are mentioned.

You may also navigate the manual by clicking on the “bookmark” icon located on the left side of the PDF viewer, which will provide links to each chapter and the appendix.       

Your Hip Pocket Training Tool

Each chapter within the manual contains two sections:  the first section is instructional material on the chapter topic including applicable law; the second section contains drills for use during group training sessions.  For detailed information on how the manual is structured and how you can best use it, please see the manual’s introduction section.

The 2019 edition includes:

- Two sample training plans to help kick start your office’s trial advocacy training program;

- An expanded chapter on hearsay;

- An appendix on how to prosecute a drug case using a laboratory document packet;

- An appendix on recent changes to the UCMJ resulting from the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act;

- 23 instructional video vignettes that demonstrate “what right looks like” in court, including cutting-edge trial techniques such as how to introduce text messages and social media posts. 

To request the 2019 Advocacy Trainer on disc, please send an e-mail (include your mailing address) to Mr. Tim Robinson, Administrative Officer, U.S. Army Advocacy Center, at timothy.m.robinson.civ@mail.mil.