Drawing from her experience as a top litigator and now judge, Judicial Commissioner Kristy Tan offers advice on courtroom habits, ethics, and professionalism—reminding us that great advocacy is as much about how we speak as what we say. From mastering your first opening lines to reviving old-school focus, her message is clear: preparation, clarity, and integrity never go out of style.
On Advocacy & Courtroom Skills
Top tip for surviving your first court appearance?
Prepare your opening lines and pace yourself. Stumbling over your opening lines can jolt your confidence and disrupt your rhythm. Prepare different permutations of opening which you may need to use, and deliberately pace yourself when delivering your first few lines. That will put you in the right headspace to thinkingly conduct the rest of your oral submissions.
What’s one habit young lawyers should drop?
Zoom court is still court. Formality matters.
On Ethics & Professional Courtesy
What small act of professionalism is often missed?
Always refer to opposing counsel as “my learned friend.” Where there is more than one opposing counsel and you need to differentiate the references, it is “my learned friend Mr X” and “my learned friend Ms Y”.
If ethics had a billboard outside the Supreme Court, what would it say?
Client advice must be driven by merit, not personal gain. How you might gain (financially or otherwise) must never be part of the calculus when advising your client on whether to bring or how to conduct a case. Be diligent and integrous in assessing and conveying to your client, especially lay clients, the merits of their case. Remember that you are the counsel and advisor to your client, not the other way round.
One old-school habit worth reviving?
Less social media. More focus.
Bottom Line:
Preparation, clarity, and integrity never goes out of style.