Reaching civil litigation case resolution depends on your ability to present your case in the best possible light. Order today to receive practical suggestions for enhancing your courtroom performance - from discovery, to motion hearings, to evidence, to handling juries - and increase your chances of success in the courtroom!

1. Case Management and Pretrial Conferences
2. Scheduling Orders
3. Effective and Ineffective Discovery Practices
4. Motion Hearing - When, Why, and How?
5. Judges View on Technology in the Court Room
6. Legal Ethics - The Judicial View
7. Voir Dire: Do's and Don'ts
8. Trial Practice Tips in Civil Court
9. Witnesses and Evidence: Mistakes to Avoid
10. Opening Statements and Closing Arguments

1. AM Session 9:00 – 12:00
   Panel Members:
   Hon. Peter J. Corrigan
   Hon. Michael P. Donnelly
   Hon. David T. Matia
   Hon. Nancy R. McDonnell
   Moderators:
   David J. Fagnilli
   Richard McLain Garner
2. CASE MANAGEMENT AND PRETRIAL CONFERENCES
1. Case Management
2. Tips for a Productive Settlement Conference
3. Mistakes to Avoid at the Pretrial Conference
3. SCHEDULING ORDERS
4. EFFECTIVE AND INEFFECTIVE DISCOVERY PRACTICES
   1. Interrogatories
   2. Be Careful What You Object To
   3. Discovery Issues Judges Should Never Hear
   4. The Emerging World of E-Discovery
   5. Getting Accurate Answers From Your Clients
5. MOTION HEARING - WHEN, WHY, AND HOW?
   1. Discovery Disputes
   2. Filing Dispositive Motions
   3. Motions in Limine
6. JUDGES’ VIEWS ON TECHNOLOGY IN THE COURTROOM
   1. What Technology is Available?
   2. Advantages/Disadvantages of High-Tech Presentations
   3. Evidentiary Issues Relative to the Use of Technology in the Courtroom

PM Session 1:00 – 4:30
Panel Members:
Hon. Janet R. Burnside
Hon. Richard J. McMonagle
Hon. John P. O'Donnell
Hon. John J. Russo
Moderators:
David J. Fagnilli
Richard McLain Garner

6. LEGAL ETHICS - THE JUDICIAL VIEW1:00 - 2:00
   1. Best Practices in Communication Between Bench and Bar
   2. The Boundary of Advocacy and Ethical Litigation Conduct
   3. Protecting Confidentiality
   4. Ethical Conduct in the Courtroom
   5. Keeping the Client in the Loop
   6. Whose Case Decision is it Anyway? When Attorneys Can and Cannot Speak in Clients' Stead
   7. Attorneys' Fees
   8. Effective and Ethical Lawyer Advertising
7. VOIR DIRE: DO'S AND DON'TS
8. TRIAL PRACTICE TIPS IN CIVIL COURT
   1. How to be "Trial Ready"
   2. Jury Instructions Beyond the Standard List
   3. The Value of a Good Appearance
9. WITNESSES AND EVIDENCE: MISTAKES TO AVOID
   1. How a Witness Ruins a "Good" Case
   2. Expert Witnesses
   3. Introducing Evidence at Trial
   4. The Proper Way to Object in Court
   5. Learning When Not to Object
   6. When is a Side Bar Appropriate?
10. OPENING STATEMENTS AND CLOSING ARGUMENTS
    1. What is an Opening Statement?
    2. The Significance of an Opening Statement
    3. Effective Closing Argument Strategies
    4. Objecting During Argument

HON. JANET R. BURNSIDE is a Judge with the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, where she presides over Courtroom 16-B.

HON. PETER J. CORRIGAN is a Judge with the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court where he presides over Courtroom 19-C.

HON. MICHAEL P. DONNELLY is a Judge with the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court where he presides over Courtroom 19-A.

HON. DAVID T. MATIA is a Judge with the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court where he presides over Courtroom 17-D.

HON. NANCY R. MCDONNELL is a Judge with the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, where she presides over Courtroom 17-B.

HON. RICHARD J. MCMONAGLE is a Judge with the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, where she presides over Courtroom 16-D.

HON. JOHN P. O'DONNELL is a Judge with the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, where she presides over Courtroom 18-D.

HON. JOHN J. RUSSO is a Judge with the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, where she presides over Courtroom 17-A.

MODERATOR - DAVID J. FAGNILLI is a partner with Davis & Young. Prior to joining the firm, he was employed in claims for a national insurance company. Mr. Fagnilli's areas of practice include insurance coverage litigation, products liability, business disputes, construction claims, complex litigation and business arbitrations He earned his B.A. degree from Southern California College and his J.D. degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.

MODERATOR - RICHARD MCLAIN GARNER is a partner with Davis & Young, an 85 year old law firm with regional offices in Cleveland, Akron, Youngstown and Warren, Ohio. Prior to joining Davis & Young, Mr. Garner served as a Magistrate in Delaware County and as a prosecutor in Delaware County. Since joining the firm, he has specialized in insurance coverage, appellate practice and complex litigation.

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