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 - 10:00, James C. Cone
   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
   10:00 - 11:00, Terrill L. Adkins
   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
   11:15 - 12:15, Terrill L. Adkins
   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
   1:15 - 2:15, James C. Cone
   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
   2:15 - 3:15, William M. Monroe
   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
   3:30 - 4:30, Terrill L. Adkins, James C. Cone and William M. Monroe
   1. Handling Surprises at Trial – What to do When Unfavorable Facts Surface
   2. Lessons Learned From Experience – Share Your Trial Tips and Techniques

TERRILL L. ADKINS is a partner in the law firm of Trammell Adkins & Ward PC in Knoxville where he practices in the areas of insurance defense, civil litigation, construction law and workers' compensation. He earned his B.S. degree from East Tennessee State University and his J.D. degree from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Mr. Adkins is a member of the Knoxville and Tennessee bar associations, the Tennessee Defense Lawyers Association and the Defense Research Institute.

JAMES C. CONE is a member of the law firm of Jenkins & Jenkins Attorneys, PLLC in Knoxville, Tennessee. His areas of practice are general civil litigation, insurance defense, construction litigation, fire loss subrogation, workers' compensation, and personal injury. Mr. Cone has tried numerous jury and non-jury trials in Tennessee state courts in Eastern and Middle Tennessee, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, and Bankruptcy Court, as well as appellate work in Tennessee courts and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. He serves as local counsel for multiple insurance carriers and represents several business and individual clients in litigation and non-litigation matters. Mr. Cone has served on the Board of Directors of nonprofit charitable corporations and the Vestry of St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Maryville, Tennessee; and the Diocese of East Tennessee elected him to the Board of Trustees of the University of the South (Sewanee). He currently serves as the vice chancellor and an assistant general counsel for the Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee. Mr. Cone earned his B.A. degree, with honors, from the University of the South (Sewanee) and Hertford College, Oxford, and his J.D. degree from The University of Tennessee College of Law

WILLIAM M. MONROE is owner of The Monroe Firm, P.L.L.C., in Memphis, Tennessee, where his practice includes personal injury, workers' compensation, civil litigation, family law and criminal litigation. He has spoken for various business and professional groups on a variety of trial topics. Mr. Monroe earned his B.A. degree from the University of Georgia and his J.D. degree from Memphis State University. He is a member of the Memphis and Tennessee bar associations and the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association.

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

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Phone: 866-240-1890

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