One of the truths of auto accident practice is that no matter how similar the cases look – they're never the same. Within this vast variety, however, there are patterns that form into effective legal strategies. You can spend years of trial practice amassing the information to make them apparent, or you can benefit from the decades of combined experience that our attorney faculty have distilled into a crash course on getting to the successful resolution as quickly and efficiently as possible. We'll help you develop simple practical skills to streamline the process and avoid missing any pertinent issues or steps. Get the tools you need to win your next auto dispute – order today!

1. Case Intake, Pre-Suit Investigation
2. Insurance Coverage Research and Negotiations with the Claims Representatives
3. Initial Filing and Discovery, Experts and Evidence
4. Damages and Liens
5. Bad Faith
6. Ethics
7. Arbitration and Litigation: Preparation Tips and Hearing Strategies

Continuing Education Credits:   

* denotes specialty credits

1. Case Intake, Pre-Suit Investigation
   9:00 - 9:45, Troy E. Walton
   1. Case Screening
   2. Initial Client Interview/Questionnaire
   3. What You Can Find Out before the Claim
   4. Funding Auto Litigation
2. Insurance Coverage Research and Negotiations with the Claims Representatives
   9:45 - 10:45, Troy E. Walton
   1. Auto Insurance Policies: Interpretation, Issues and Hidden Treasures
      1. Auto Liability Coverage
      2. UM/UIM
      3. PIP/ Med Pay
      4. Multiple Policyholders
      5. Stacking of Coverage
      6. Available Limits
   2. Demand Packages
   3. Negotiating with the Adjuster
3. Initial Filing and Discovery, Experts and Evidence
   11:00 - 12:00, Ann Marie Piana
   1. Pre-Filing Preparation
   2. Obtaining Medical Records
   3. Written Discovery Issues
   4. Taking Party and Witness Depositions
   5. Selecting and Working with Expert Witnesses
   6. Effective Expert Witness Depositions
4. Damages and Liens
   1:00 - 1:50, Ann Marie Piana
   1. Assessing and Establishing Economic Damages
      1. Vehicle Damage and Diminished Value
      2. Paid vs. Billed Medical Services
      3. Future Medical Treatment and Costs
      4. Loss of Earning Capacity
   2. Assessing and Establishing Non-Economic Damages
      1. Medical Records
      2. Use of Independent Witnesses
      3. Day in the Life Evidence
   3. Addressing Medical Provider Liens
   4. Mediation as an Alternative
   5. Structuring Settlements
5. Bad Faith
   1:50 - 2:30, Steven M. Aroesty
   1. Definition of Bad Faith
   2. When Can a Bad Faith Claim be Brought?
   3. First Party Bad Faith vs. Third-Party Direct Actions
   4. Types of Bad Faith Claims in Auto Insurance Context
   5. Settlement Considerations
6. Ethics
   2:45 - 3:45, Steven M. Aroesty
   1. Preventing Conflicts of Interest
   2. Setting and Collecting Attorney Fees
   3. Maintaining Client Confidentiality
   4. Work-Product Doctrine as it Applies to Expert Witness Reports in Progress
   5. Insurance Defense Counsel Relationship with the Insured and Insurer
   6. Communicating with Represented Parties
      1. “CC,” “Reply All,” and Other E-mail Traps of Inadvertent Communication
      2. Plaintiff Attorneys' Communication with Represented Insurance Adjusters
      3. Investigators' Contact with the Opposing Party
7. Arbitration and Litigation: Preparation Tips and Hearing Strategies
   3:45 - 4:30, Troy E. Walton
   1. Arbitration Procedure and Tactics
   2. Evidence Strategies
   3. Preparing Witnesses for Testimony
   4. Jury Selection Tips
   5. Case Presentation Tactics
   6. Preserving Issues for Appeal
   7. Mediation

STEVEN M. AROESTY is the founder and owner of Steven  M. Aroesty, L.L.C., a personal injury law firm located in St. Louis and exclusively dedicated to representing injury victims and their families. Previously, Mr. Aroesty was associated with the plaintiff's firm of Brown & Crouppen, where over a nine year period, he successfully resolved more than 1,700 injury claims. He also has prior experience defending injury claims and insurance coverage disputes while working in both private practice and as part of insurance company staff counsel. Mr. Aroesty earned his undergraduate degree at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York and his law degree at Washington University in St. Louis.

ANN MARIE PIANA is an attorney with the Missouri law firm of Eckenrode Maupin, Attorneys at Law, where she practices primarily in the areas of medical malpractice, premises liability, vehicular liability and personal injury litigation. Ms. Piana is licensed to practice in the states of Missouri and Illinois, and has more than 20 years of experience in civil litigation. She earned her B.B.A. degree from Texas Christian University and her J.D. degree from St. Louis University. Ms. Piana is a member of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, The Missouri Bar, the Illinois State Bar Association and the Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers (member, Board of Directors, 05/2000-06/2006) wherein she has chaired various committees, including the insurance and substantive law committee.

TROY E. WALTON is a partner with the law firm of Schoen Walton Telken & Foster LLC. Mr. Walton's practice focuses exclusively on plaintiff's personal injury litigation and includes trucking and motor vehicle accidents, toxic tort litigation, wrongful death, products liability, medical malpractice and nursing home abuse and neglect cases. Among other professional affiliations, he is a member of the American Association For Justice, The Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys and the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, where he serves on the Board of Managers. Mr. Walton is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an organization whose members include some of the top trial lawyers in the United States. He earned his B.A. degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and his J.D. degree, cum laude, from St. Louis University School of Law.

Please refer to Continuing Education Credit FAQ for general information about seeking credit for your participation in one of our continuing education programs.

Additionally, our team of credit specialists are here to answer your specific credit-related questions weekdays 7am - 5pm Central:

Phone: 866-240-1890

Email: credit@nbi-sems.com