Personal profile
James Welsh is a barrister (non-practicing) and a Professor of Legal Education. He has been at the forefront of advocacy training and the development of communication skills for many years. More recently, he has been engaged around the world training critical thinking skills, and his clients now range across many countries and sectors.
James also has a prestigious client list of law enforcement agencies who use him to help prepare witnesses for trial.
His advocacy training credentials include:
- Leading the advocacy training for BPP for nearly 20 years, and being awarded Professorship in 2018;
- Faculty member of the South Eastern Circuit, Tim Dutton CBE KC, Advanced International Advocacy Course at Keble College Oxford;
- One of the select group of 3 advocacy trainers/assessors who were the first group from outside of the CPS to review the advocacy of CPS staff ‘on the job’. The success of this pilot programme led to national changes in policy within the CPS. Follow up training delivered by James for the CPS was described as being ‘in an entirely different class’ to the existing training;
- James has delivered advocacy training across the legal sector, including to firms such as Clifford Chance, Freshfields, Squire Patton Boggs.
His work on critical thinking and thinking in leadership communication, has taken him around the world. He also trains professionals in highly diverse sectors. These include:
- Designing and delivering 10 days of training for Coca-Cola (European Partners) for 500 leaders from 13 countries;
- A 4-year collaboration with Herbert Smith Freehills to deliver critical thinking training across their new cohorts;
- Delivered critical thinking training to over 1000 employees at PWC across India and South America.
James has delivered witness skills training to almost all the Metropolitan Police Detectives for nearly 20 years. He is the only external trainer used by the Met for Detective training. He works with analysts of many types across many forces around the country. He recently created training media on witness skills and critical thinking skills for the Home Office. This training is available to the entire law enforcement community in the UK. Other RL consultants were also involved in this major project.
James is known for his infectious enthusiasm and energy as a coach and presenter, and he is a consultant with a clear mind, a big heart and a smile