The first stages of a case are often those requiring quick movement with little information. Each party and participant plays a unique, but critical, role in preliminary investigations and the initial motions that take place well before the first day of trial. Focusing on preliminary examinations/investigations, arrest/transfer, first appearance, admissibility/jurisdictional challenges, and victim participation, this day will go through the critical phases and key decisions that must be made well before the 'all rise' of opening statements.

The training will be conducted by Marie O'Leary, Annie O'Reilly and Haydee Dijkstal.

Marie O’Leary is currently Counsel for the Office of Public Counsel for the Defence (OPCD) at the ICC. She was previously part of the Defence teams of Naser Orić, Vlastimir Đorđević, Milan Lukić (Lukić & Lukić) and Dragomir Pećanac at the ICTY. She has also worked for the Amicus Prosecutor for contempt proceedings on appeal in the case against Vojislav Šešelj and as an Associate Legal Officer with ICTY Trial Chamber II. In 2010, O’Leary served as a Legal Consultant for the Defence Office at the STL. She was the Head of Office of the ADC-ICTY between 2006 and 2007 and is a former Vice-President of the Association and member of the Training Committee. Ms O’Leary is also a lecturer in the Seminar on International Criminal Defence at the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute and has lectured for the Summer School on International Criminal Law of the Grotius Centre of Leiden University.

Haydee Dijkstal is a UK barrister and US attorney with nearly decade of experience practicing international criminal and human rights law before international, regional and domestic courts. Her practice has included work before the ICC, ICTY, SCSL, African Commission and Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights and UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. Haydee has been a member of legal teams before the International Criminal Court since 2011 representing parties including the defence, victims and Governments. This includes the Defence team for Abdullah Al-Senussi, legal team for Sudanese victims, and legal team for the Kenyan Government. She is currently co-counsel for victims of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in the Registered Vessels situation and on the legal team for the Government of the Comoros. She is also on the legal team representing Palestinian victims before the ICC.