Connecticut Personal Injury Boot Camp

Agenda / Content Covered

All times are shown in Eastern time.

1. Conducting Thorough Client Intake and Pre-Suit Investigation
   9:00 - 9:45, Christopher P. Anderson
   1. Case Screening Essentials
   2. Building the Case Through the Questionnaire
   3. Conducting an Effective Client Interview
   4. What You can Find Out Before the Claim
   5. Obtaining Medical Records and Bills
   6. Basic Medical Knowledge for Personal Injury Attorneys
   7. Investigation Fundamentals - Developing the Facts
2. Calculating Damages in Personal Injury
   9:45 - 10:15, Christopher P. Anderson
   1. Evaluating and Allocating Damages
   2. Medical Bills and Other Expenses
   3. Lost Wages/Earning Capacity
   4. Pain and Suffering
   5. Loss of Consortium
   6. Evidence of Damages
3. Reviewing Insurance, Negotiating with the Insurance Adjuster and Demand Packages
   10:30 - 11:15, Steven D. Jacobs
   1. Obtaining Insurance Information and Finding Coverage
   2. Collateral Source Rule
   3. Determining Priority and Negotiating the Value
   4. Demand Packages
   5. Tips for Negotiating with the Adjuster
   6. Settlement and Releases
4. Liens in Personal Injury: A How-to Guide
   11:15 - 12:00, Steven D. Jacobs
   1. Basics of Liens and Subrogation
   2. Collecting and Negotiating
   3. Hospital Liens
   4. Medicaid Liens: How-to's and Pointers
   5. Medicare Lien Process
   6. Establishing a Medicare Set-Aside
   7. Essentials for Managing ERISA Liens
   8. Workers' Compensation Liens: Procedures, Reduction and Resolution
5. Initial Filing and Discovery Tips in Personal Injury
   1:00 - 1:45, Anthony Sheffy
   1. Key Procedural Requirements
   2. Filing and Case Scheduling
   3. Pretrial Motions
   4. The Basics of Discovery
   5. Evidence Preservation
6. Using Experts to Prove Your Case
   1:45 - 2:30, Anthony Sheffy
   1. When do You Need Experts?
   2. Selecting and Qualifying Experts
   3. Deposing and Defending Depositions
7. Trying a Personal Injury Case
   2:45 - 3:30, Christopher P. Kriesen
   1. Jury Selection
   2. Creating Powerful Opening and Closing Statements
   3. Presentation of Evidence
   4. Arguing Damages
   5. Direct and Cross Examination
8. Ethics
   3:30 - 4:30, Christopher P. Kriesen
   1. Avoiding Conflicts of Interest
   2. Attorney Fees
   3. Obligations to Clients
   4. Upholding Client Confidentiality
   5. Rules of Professional Conduct

Accreditation Details:

CHRISTOPHER P. ANDERSON is a partner with Anderson Trial Lawyers in Norwich. Mr. Anderson practices in the areas of personal injury, wrongful death, products liability and workers' compensation claims. He serves on the Board of Governors of the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association and is a member of the American Association of Justice. Mr. Anderson is admitted to practice law in the state of Connecticut and the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. He earned his J.D. degree from Vermont Law School.

STEVEN D. JACOBS is a partner in the New Haven law firm of Jacobs & Jacobs, LLC, where his practice includes personal injury, medical malpractice, products liability and workers' compensation law. He has previously spoken on collateral sources, discovery issues, workers' compensation, and expert witnesses; before groups such as the New Haven County Bar Association and the National Business Institute. A graduate of Trinity College, Mr. Jacobs earned his J.D. degree from the University of Pittsburgh. He is a member of the state bars of Connecticut and Illinois, the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He is also a member of the New Haven County Bar Association, the Connecticut Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association, the Connecticut Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, the American Association for Justice, and the American Bar Association.

CHRISTOPHER P. KRIESEN is the founder and principal of The Kalon Law Firm, LLC, where his practice areas include personal injury, civil litigation, appeals, and ADR. Mr. Kriesen is admitted to practice in Connecticut and before the United States District Court of Connecticut. He is a trained mediator (Harvard Law School, advanced mediation workshop, program on negotiation) and serves as an attorney trial referee in Hartford Superior Court. Mr. Kriesen earned his B.Sc. degree from Villanova University, his J.D. degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law, and his M.A. degree, with distinction, from Trinity College.

ANTHONY SHEFFY is the founding partner of Sheffy, Mazzaccaro, DePaolo & DeNigris, L.L.P., which is located centrally in Southington, Connecticut. He has taken jury verdicts in state and federal court, recovering substantial compensation for families, including those whose lives have been dramatically altered by a sudden death or brain injury; as well as on behalf of Lloyd’s of London, Omni and other insurers. Mr. Sheffy has written and lectured on topics ranging from the fundamentals of presenting civil jury cases to advanced evidence techniques for attorneys experienced in the courtroom. He has been honored as a member of the Order of Justitia in the Litigation Counsel of America, a fellow of the American Bar Foundation, designated as a Top 100 Lawyers in America, and designated as a Super Lawyer in Connecticut since 2011. Mr. Sheffy earned his B.S. degree, in combined music and physics, from Lebanon Valley College and his J.D. degree, magna cum laude, from Western New England School of Law. He is admitted to the bar for Connecticut state courts and the Federal District Court for the state of Connecticut.