Have you perfected your process of trial preparation into an art of war? Are you getting all you can out of the opportunities witnesses and opposing counsel let slip during trial? Do your juries leave the courtroom wanting to reach the verdict that you've clearly stated you want? Take your courtroom presentation skills to the next level of excellence with this strategic guide. Order today!

1. Voir Dire/Jury Selection Strategies
2. Opening Statements and Direct Examination
3. Cross-Examination and Redirect – Focus on Experts and Evidence
4. Effective Exhibits and Courtroom Technology
5. Summations and Jury Instructions
6. Roundtable Discussion

Continuing Education Credits:   

* denotes specialty credits

1. VOIR DIRE AND JURY SELECTION STRATEGIES
   9:00 - 10:15, E. Clarke Dummit and V. James Filliben III
   1. Preparing for Jury Selection - Researching Your “Target Audience”
      (Venue, Juror Pool Demographics, Creating Your “Ideal Juror,” Drafting Surveys/Questionnaires, etc.)
   2. Preparing the Pre-Trial Order
   3. Introducing Your Case During Jury Selection
   4. Bringing to the Surface and Overcoming Juror and Judicial Biases
   5. Reading the Vital Non-Verbal Signals Jurors are Sending
   6. Peremptory and For-Cause Challenge Tactics
2. OPENING STATEMENTS AND DIRECT EXAMINATION
   10:30 - 12:00, Barbara J. Rynne
   1. Maximizing the Impact of Opening Statements
      (Introducing Case Theme and Key Case Parties; Laying out the Sequence of Events; Introducing Supporting and Damaging Evidence; Preparing Judge and Jury to Focus on Specific Elements of Trial Presentation; Opening Techniques That Simply Don't Work, Cutting Out Unnecessary Clutter)
   2. Preparation Tips for Direct Examination
      (Establishing the Main Theme; Organizing the Order of Testimony; Preparing Witnesses; Formulating Effective Questions)
   3. Areas of Direct Examination
      (Specific Approaches to Impeachment, Fact Testimony, Expert Testimony, Causation, Liability, Damages, Foundation, etc.)
   4. Persuasive Witness Testimony - How to:
      1. Develop the Story and Make it Interesting
      2. Integrate a Theme
      3. Adjust to the Specific Audience
      4. Limit the Scope
      5. Handle and Introduce Exhibits
      6. Authenticate Documents
      7. Humanize Your Witness
      8. Anticipate and Neutralize Cross-Examination
   5. Is Interim Commentary Allowed? How to Use it Well
3. CROSS-EXAMINATION AND REDIRECT - FOCUS ON EXPERTS AND EVIDENCE
   1:00 - 2:00, Bruce W. Berger
   1. Advance Uses of Basic Cross-Exam Tools: Bias, Opportunity to Observe, Inconsistency, etc.
   2. Tips for Cross-Examining Difficult Lay Witnesses
   3. Opposing Experts in the Courtroom - Setting Up the Motion to Strike
      1. Timing/Sequence
      2. Phrasing
      3. Detailed Facts
      4. Psychological Components
      5. Advanced Techniques for Getting an Expert Disqualified
   4. Making and Responding to Objections
   5. Relevancy Issues
   6. Addressing Hearsay
   7. Redirect Examination - Taking Advantage of the Often-Overlooked Resource
4. EFFECTIVE EXHIBITS AND COURTROOM TECHNOLOGY
   2:00 - 2:30 and 2:45 - 3:00, E. Clarke Dummit and V. James Filliben III
   1. Overcoming Fear and Confronting Technology
   2. Preparing for the Digital Trial
      1. Digital Case Storage and Organization
      2. Authentication of Documents
      3. Document/Exhibit Organization
      4. Preparing the Courtroom and Conditioning the Jury
      5. Blending Technology Use Into Your Presentation for Seamless Delivery
   3. Choosing the Right Method and Form of Exhibit
      (Physical vs. Image; Actual vs. Demonstrative; Budget; Setting; Venue; Subject Matter; Order of Proof; Presenter's Style and Preferences; Comfort Level With Technology)
   4. Does Each of Your Exhibits Pass the 8-Point Test?
   5. What Can the Opposing Counsel do With the Evidence I Introduce?
   6. Video Depositions (Prior Testimony)
      1. Advantages and Pitfalls
      2. When to Use
      3. Rules of Completeness
      4. Objections
      5. Fairness
5. SUMMATIONS AND JURY INSTRUCTIONS
   3:30 - 4:15, Bruce W. Berger
   1. What to Include
   2. Length and Style Tactics
   3. Use of Pace and Voice Inflection to Emphasize Key Elements
   4. Addressing the Weak Points of the Case
   5. The Verdict Sheet/Jury Instructions - Clearly Asking for What You Want
6. ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION
   4:15 - 4:30, Bruce W. Berger, E. Clarke Dummit, Barbara J. Rynne and V. James Filliben III
   1. Handling Surprises at Trial - What to do When Unfavorable Facts Surface
   2. Lessons Learned From Experience - Share Your Trial Tips and Techniques

BRUCE W. BERGER is a partner in the Raleigh, North Carolina, law firm of Knott, Berger & Miller, LLP. He has been practicing law for the past 30 years, formerly as a defense lawyer primarily defending doctors, hospitals and insurance companies; and currently representing individual and families in death and personal injury cases, primarily in the areas of medical malpractice, nursing home negligence and tractor-trailer crashes. Mr. Berger's practice includes the representation of individual policy holders and businesses in insurance coverage (including bad faith) disputes. He earned his B.A. degree, cum laude, with honors, from Vanderbilt University and his J.D. degree from Southern Methodist University. Mr. Berger is a member of the Wake County and North Carolina bar associations, the West Virginia State Bar and the North Carolina Advocates for Justice.

E. CLARKE DUMMIT is the founder of The Dummit Law Firm in Winston-Salem, where he concentrates his practice in the areas of criminal law with a focus on driving while impaired and drug cases. His firm also litigates personal injury, medical malpractice and workers' compensation. The Dummit Law Firm regularly affiliates with other firms to litigate cases in both criminal and civil trials. Mr. Dummit is the author of The North Carolina DWI Manual, and is the founder of the North Carolina DWI Round Table. He is a frequent lecturer on various issues relating to criminal law, including driving while impaired. Mr. Dummit is admitted to practice in North Carolina and Georgia, as well as before federal courts. He earned his B.A. degree from Vanderbilt University and his J.D. degree from Wake Forest University. Mr. Dummit has been a member of the Forsyth County and North Carolina bar associations, and the Academy of Trial Lawyers and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

V. JAMES FILLIBEN III joined the firm's Charlotte office in 2012. He focuses his practice primarily on criminal defense. Prior to joining The Dummit Law Firm, Mr. Filliben practiced law in Winston-Salem for two and a half years, where he handled DWI defense, misdemeanors, district and superior court felonies, and assisted with capital and non-capital murder cases. He is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association, Mecklenburg County Bar Association, and North Carolina Advocates for Justice. Mr. Filliben is admitted to practice in both the Middle District and Western District of North Carolina. Mr. Filliben earned his B.S. degree in finance and his B.A. degree in American Studies from The Pennsylvania State University. He attended law school at Wake Forest University School of Law. While attending Wake Law, Mr. Filliben was active in Moot Court and served as executive articles editor of the Wake Forest Intellectual Property Law Journal. Mr. Filliben is a dedicated trial attorney who is comfortable in the courtroom. He is a zealous advocate and firmly believes in defending the U.S. Constitution to ensure his clients' rights are protected.

BARBARA J. RYNNE is an associate with The Dummit Law Firm, in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she focuses on criminal defense litigation. She has represented criminal defendants charged with, among other things, murder, drug trafficking, robbery, assault and various criminal domestic charges in both district and superior court. Prior to joining The Dummit Law Firm, Ms. Rynne spent a total of 10 years as a prosecutor in Monmouth County, New Jersey and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. She is a member of the Mecklenburg County Bar Association, and former member of the National District Attorney's Association (NDAA). Ms. Rynne has tried more than 100 jury trials and hundreds of bench trials, as both a prosecutor and defense attorney. While a member of the NDAA, she was able to hone her skills as a litigator at the National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina. Ms. Rynne has frequently taught CLE classes for fellow attorneys and law enforcement officers. She earned her B.A. degree from Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, and her J.D. degree from Seton Hall University School of Law in Newark, New Jersey. Ms. Rynne is admitted to practice law in the state courts of North Carolina, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and in the U.S. District Courts for the District of New Jersey and the Western District of North Carolina.

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