An injury can impact the quality of someone's life for years to come - or permanently. Representing an injured party is an enormous responsibility. The techniques you use during a case will impact both your client's future well-being and your viability as a competent practitioner. Do you have the knowledge you need to ensure a favorable outcome?

Build your skills from the convenience of your desk! You'll learn best practices for assessing a variety of personal injury cases. Take a closer look at the statutes that affect liability evaluation, as well as the laws of damages. Walk through the basics of civil practice and procedure, so you'll know what to do. Discover when it's in your client's best interest to settle, and when you'll need to go to trial. Order today!

1. Statutes Which Affect Liability Evaluation
2. Understanding the Law of Damages
3. Basics of Civil Practice and Procedure
4. Ethical Considerations for the Plaintiff's Attorney
5. Personal Injury Settlements
6. Trial of the Plaintiff's Personal Injury Case

1. STATUTES WHICH AFFECT LIABILITY EVALUATION
   8:30 - 9:35, José L. Garriga
   1. Statutes of Limitation
   2. Automobile Accident Statutes
   3. Injuries on Recreational Lands
   4. Sovereign Immunity
2. UNDERSTANDING THE LAW OF DAMAGES
   9:35 - 10:45, Robert C. Trenchard Jr.
   1. Economic Damages
   2. Non-Economic Damages
   3. Wrongful Death and Survival Claims
3. BASICS OF CIVIL PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE
   11:00 - 12:15, James B. Kennedy
   1. Assessment of Particular Case Types - Interviews and Investigation
      1. Automobile Accident Cases
      2. Slip and Fall Cases
      3. Product Liability Cases
      4. Others
   2. The Discovery Process
      1. Written Discovery
      2. Informal Discovery Including Public Sources of Information
      3. Taking and Defending Depositions
   3. Initial Court Filings
   4. Preparing Evidence Prior to Trial
      1. Understanding the Rules of Evidence
      2. Documentary Evidence
      3. Testamentary Evidence
      4. Demonstrative Evidence
4. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE PLAINTIFF'S ATTORNEY
   1:15 - 2:15, James B. Kennedy
   1. The Contingent Fee
   2. The Costs of Litigation - What is a Legitimate Cost?
   3. Advertising Legal Services
   4. Candor Toward the Tribunal
   5. Meritorious Claims and Contentions
5. PERSONAL INJURY SETTLEMENTS
   2:15 - 2:45 and 3:00 - 3:35, Robert C. Trenchard Jr.
   1. Negotiation Techniques
   2. Mediation as a Settlement Tool
   3. Subrogation Interests
   4. Structured Settlements
   5. Understanding the Joint Tortfeasor Release and Other Releases
6. TRIAL OF THE PLAINTIFF'S PERSONAL INJURY CASE
   3:35 - 4:40, José L. Garriga
   1. How to Avoid the Most Common Mistakes Made by New Attorneys
   2. Jury Selection - Voir Dire and Jury Questionnaires
   3. The Basics of an Opening Statement
   4. Presentation of Evidence
   5. Direct and Cross-Examination of Witnesses
   6. Proving Economic and Non-Economic Damages
   7. Delivering a Powerful Closing Argument
   8. Post-Trial Relief

JOSÉ L. GARRIGA specializes in plaintiffs' personal injury and wrongful death cases, including automobile accidents, 18-wheeler trucking accidents, motorcycle accidents, oil field accidents, construction accidents, industrial accidents, burn injury cases, products liability cases, Dram Shop cases and others. Mr. Garriga has tried to verdict as lead counsel more than 200 personal injury and/or wrongful death cases and has obtained several multi-million dollar verdicts. He was lead counsel in a wrongful death case where he obtained a verdict in excess of $163 million dollars that was featured in Lawyers Weekly USA and The National Law Journal and was recognized as the nation's eleventh largest jury verdict of 2003. Mr. Garriga also has negotiated numerous multi-million dollar settlements on behalf of his clients in a variety of personal injury and wrongful death cases. He is a graduate of the University of Houston Law School and is licensed to practice law in Texas, New Mexico and Florida, as well as before the U.S. District courts for the Western and Southern districts of Texas. Mr. Garriga is board-certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and has been named a Texas SuperLawyer and published in Texas Monthly Magazine every year since 2005. He is a member of the American Association for Justice, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Ector County Bar Association (Past President 2001-2002) and Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Mr. Garriga is fluent in Spanish and his law practice is primarily concentrated in the states of Texas and New Mexico.

JAMES B. KENNEDY is the sole practitioner of James Kennedy, P.L.L.C. He is board-certified in personal injury trial law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Mr. Kennedy handles serious injury and death cases, including work-related injuries, automobile accidents, defective product claims, medical malpractice and more. He earned his B.A. degree, with special honors, from the University of Texas and his J.D. degree, cum laude, from Texas Tech University School of Law.

ROBERT C. TRENCHARD JR. is an attorney with Trenchard & Hoskins, L.L.P., which has offices in El Paso and Kermit, Texas, as well as, Roswell, New Mexico. Mr. Trenchard is a member of the Winkler County Bar Association (president 1980-1984), State Bar of Texas, State Bar of New Mexico, American Association for Justice (co-chairman Mining and Oilfield Products and Accidents Litigation Group 1995-2003), New Mexico Trial Lawyers Foundation, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, and Life Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Western and Northern districts of Texas, the District of New Mexico, the 5th and 10th Circuit U.S. Courts of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Trenchard has also been selected as a "Texas Super Lawyer" by Texas Monthly Magazine. He is board-certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Mr. Trenchard earned his B.A. degree from the University of Nebraska and his J.D. degree from the University of Texas School of Law.

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